


Dead Dinosaurs and Living Legends

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Reality - Parent Switch, Fluff, Hazel and Percy are Bros, M/M, Nicercy - Freeform, Percy grows up in New Rome, Reyna and Nico are bros, Slash, Triton is a Good Big Brother, daughter of Hades!Thalia, daughter of Poseidon!Bianca, daughter of Zeus!Hazel, merman!Nico, son of Hades!Jason, son of Neptune!Nico, son of Pluto!Percy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-02-22 13:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13167789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: What if Sally was seduced by Pluto and Proserpina instead of Poseidon? And instead of marrying Gabe in her despair, her lovers send her and Percy to New Rome.And what if Maria was seduced by Poseidon/Neptune in his merman-form instead of Hades? And instead of being hidden away in the Lotus Hotel, Bianca and Nico grow up in Atlantis.This is how their story plays out and how they meet in New Rome.





	1. The Prince of the Underworld & the Heirs of the Ocean

PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Dead Dinosaurs and Living Legends || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: Dead Dinosaurs and Living Legends – The Jurassic King and his Big Merman

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, godly parent switch, merpeople, twisted canon, fluff, f/f, m/f, polyamory (m/m/f | m/f/f)

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Bianca/Annabeth, Thanatos/Triton, Octavian/Luke, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jason/Calypso, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse, Dakota/Leila, Pluto/Proserpina/Sally, Neptune/Maria

Percy Jackson Characters: Maria di Angelo

 _New Rome_ : Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Octavian Simmons, Frank Zhang, Michael Kahale, Dakota Elle, Leila Fischer, Tyson, Ella, Sally Jackson, Aurum, Argentum

 _Camp Half-Blood_ : Hazel Levesque, Bianca di Angelo, Thalia Grace, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase, Luke Castellan, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Piper McLean, Mrs. O'Leary

Godly Characters: Pluto | Hades, Proserpina | Persephone, Zerberus, Calypso, Neptune | Poseidon, Triton, Letum | Thanatos

Own Characters: Cera (Triceratops), Petrie (Pteranodon), Littlefoot (Apatosaurus), Nessie (Cetus)

Summary: What if Sally was seduced by Pluto and Proserpina instead of Poseidon? And instead of marrying Gabe in her despair, her lovers send her and Percy to New Rome.

And what if Maria was seduced by Poseidon/Neptune in his merman-form instead of Hades? And instead of being hidden away in the Lotus Hotel, Bianca and Nico grow up in Atlantis.

This is how their story plays out and how they meet in New Rome.

**Dead Dinosaurs and Living Legends**

_The Jurassic King and his Big Merman_

_Part 1: The Prince of the Underworld & the Heirs of the Ocean_

/Summer 1921, Venice, Italy\

Maria first met him at the harbor. She had been strolling along the beach, lost in thoughts and distracted by the beauty of her city at night. Her papà would chide her for being out and alone so late. She was a young lady, after all. Being out alone at night was improper.

All sorts of strange folks might approach her. Like a merman, for example.

Maria could not help but be intrigued. A merman. A true, real merman with a sapphire-blue tail. He was handsome, with a chiseled chest, stubble covering his sharp chin, his hair wild and black and his eyes like two orbs capturing the ocean itself. He was also charming and a sweet-talker.

It was hard to deny him. He knew how to charm a woman. And even after she realized she was pregnant, he was still around. Even as the two of them held their firstborn child, a beautiful little girl that they decided to name Bianca. He wasn't around for months after though and the next time she met him, something was fundamentally different about him. He was less laid back and carefree, he seemed stricter and also more well-trained somehow. Firmer and more responsible, in a way.

And she realized she had fallen pregnant again. And she realized he was more than just a merman. He was the king of the ocean. And then, well, then she realized he was _two_. He had first come to her as Poseidon and as they met again after all those months, he had come to her as Neptune.

And apparently, that was a problem. There was a war brewing, he had told her. It was _in the air_ , she just didn't quite know how he could tell. He told her that their children would be in danger, told her that the war might be a danger, told her that his brother might come after the children. Told her that two children from the same mortal mother but two different aspects of the same god... they would be targets. And oh, Maria was _so angry_. She was angry that he had put her – and her children – into this position. At times, she was angry she had ever met him, but then she looked into Bianca's and Nico's eyes and she knew she could never truly regret meeting him for she loved them.

"Let me take you away", pleaded Neptune in 1934.

The war was something that even Maria could taste by now. Well, not the war, but the tension. Something was brewing and she didn't know what, but it felt like the sea before a storm. She could not deny him and so she followed him into the sea. Nico was ten, Bianca was twelve. The children clung onto Maria's hands, staring up at their mother fearfully as they walked into the sea.

"It will be fine", whispered Maria softly. "It will be fine. It will be fine."

She said it to reassure them just as much as she was trying to reassure herself. After all, the bystanders started screaming at her, thinking she was a mad woman, condemning herself and her children to death by the hands of the sea. And as they submerged, reaching the deeper parts of the sea, she was afraid. Only when the warmth of Neptune's magic surrounded them did Maria relax.

She could feel the change, but she would never be able to describe the sensation. Her legs turning into a light-blue tail. It was mesmerizing. Nico next to her yelped loudly.

"Dios mio, mamma!", exclaimed Nico, gesturing wildly at the tail.

It was such a dark blue, it nearly looked black. He squealed and tried to tear away from his mother to test it, but Maria held his hand firmly and glared at her son in warning. Bianca all the while was tentatively flipping her own tail to see how it worked. She looked utterly fascinated.

"Hello, my dear", greeted Neptune with a pleased smile.

He opened his arms to welcome Maria, but she only glared at him. " _No_. You put us into this situation. You made me leave my family behind. I'm grateful you _can_ save me and my children, but you and I are through, Neptune or Poseidon or whatever your name is."

She gathered her children and glared at him and he... conceded. He nodded briefly.

"You... have every right to be angry. For now, allow me to show you the house I got you."

"Will there be more merpeople, papà?", asked Nico excitedly.

"Yes, bambino", laughed Neptune, eyes sparkling proudly. "Let me show you Atlantis."

/Winter 1992, New York City\

Sally first met them in Central Park. Just a couple, strolling around, whispering to themselves. They were incredibly beautiful, both of them. They had something out of this world-ish to them.

As Sally later learned, that was because the two were gods.

Pluto and Proserpina, the king and queen of the underworld. And somehow, Sally was not quite sure how, she had made them fall for her. Proserpina courted Sally with flowers and baked goods, Pluto brought her expensive jewelry. Both were incredibly charming and sweet and it really wasn't hard to fall for them. The world they showed her – the underworld – was absolutely captivating.

They made her feel cherished and taken care of in a way that she had never experienced before. She didn't _need_ Pluto to pay for her, she often even didn't want to, but both Pluto and Proserpina insisted occasionally. And honestly, it kind of did feel nice to be treated that way, to be spoiled.

They treated her like a princess and she kind of loved it.

She _did_ freak out just a little when she noticed that she was pregnant. After all, she was pregnant with the child of the king of the underworld, a god. But she loved Pluto and Proserpina and she already knew she was going to love her baby. Her lovers assured her that they would too. They would love this baby of theirs and they would not allow harm to come to either of them.

"Perseus Jackson", declared Sally gently as she first got to hold her son nine months later.

"Really? Perseus? _Really_?", asked Pluto utterly unimpressed. "After my brother's son?"

"After the _one_ hero who got to have a happy ending, Pluto", stated Sally seriously, looking up at her lovers. "Our son _has_ to have a happy ending. And who knows, maybe your brother will feel so flattered, he won't try to _smite my baby_. What about that?"

"Well, what with Jupiter's ego, that might just be a solid plan", laughed Proserpina.

She leaned down to kiss Sally's forehead gently. The baby giggled and opened his eyes, watching his moms. Proserpina's eyes softened as she got lost on the intense green of Perseus' eyes. So many shades of green, so bright and beautiful, as though they were encapsulating spring itself.

"Seems my magic worked its way into our little one too", whispered Proserpina proudly.

She looked into Sally's azure-blue eyes and into Pluto's pitch-black ones. Yes, she had definitely added a little bit to their precious little baby-boy. Perseus Jackson, heir to the underworld.

/1997, Underworld\

"Pu—uppy!"

Sally made a slightly strangled sound and leaned against Proserpina. The queen laughed softly, kissing Sally gently as the two women watched their son. Percy was happily playing with Zerberus, his favorite companion. Percy wasn't very good at making friends, sadly enough. Most kids thought he was weird. It was his underworldly heritage. Pluto felt guilty for it.

Sally and Percy regularly visited the underworld. Percy loved exploring it, loved flying with uncle Letum with the mighty black wings, loved splashing around in the rivers – regardless of how often he was told _not to_ , but somehow Percy really loved water.

"Why won't you stay with us, love?", asked Proserpina softly, running her fingers through Sally's hair. "Percy is clearly happy here. And you would be a queen here."

"I leave being a queen up to you, Pina", chuckled Sally amused. "I... can't live down here. Percy and I, we belong in the world of the living. We will stay there as long as possible."

Proserpina heaved a sigh. She knew things weren't as easy as Sally wanted them to be. She knew their mortal lover would not be able to keep living in New York _with_ their demigod son. And Proserpina and Pluto were trying very hard to find a solution, a middle-ground.

"Mommas!", yelped Percy as he ran up to them, Zerberus hot on his heels.

Proserpina laughed as she opened her arms to welcome the four-year-old. She lifted him up into her lap so he could snuggle up to her and Sally leaned in to kiss the top of his head. All that truly mattered was that their little boy got the happy childhood he deserved.

"Wanna go and see what papa is up to, my little prince?", asked Proserpina softly.

"Yas!", exclaimed Percy excitedly. "Papa?"

He turned on the sad little kitten eyes and neither of his parents were immune to those. Percy's favorite movie to watch were _A Land Before Time_ and its sequel and Sally and Proserpina could by now speak along to every single line of those movies. They really hoped this was the last of those.

/1998, Underworld\

Percy was scared. He wasn't supposed to run off alone, but he had been playing hide and seek with his big sisters Makaria and Melinoe and then he had gotten so excited that he kind of ran away to find a better hiding spot because he wanted to win. And now he was lost in a scary place. There were lots of scary see-through people. Mama and papa said that they were ghosts and that he could see ghosts because he was the son of Pluto. It was nice that no one thought he was crazy for his imaginary friends down here – the other kids always made fun of him for it.

"Hello, little one. Are you lost? You... don't look like you belong here."

Percy yelped softly and stared at the ghost in front of him. "You're pretty."

The girl smiled and knelt down next to him. She was pretty. All funny frizzly hair and really golden eyes. She was older than him – like, a teenager, so _really_ old. But she smiled at him all nicely.

"Thank you, little one. I'm... I don't... remember", whispered the ghost blankly. "Memory is a fuzzy thing when you're... dead. But you aren't, right?"

"Nu-uh. I'm the prince!", replied Percy with a toothy grin, puffing his chest out, before he deflated again. "But I'm lost... mommas and papa are gonna be real mad."

"It's okay. I'll keep you company until they find you, is that okay?", asked the pretty ghost.

Percy sniffed a little and nodded before sitting down close by to her. She smiled at him and asked him to tell her about himself and all the time until Letum _finally_ came and found him, he was nicely distracted talking about his amazing family and parents and his giant puppy.

"You can _not_ run away like that, young prince", chided Letum seriously as he shouldered Percy.

"Bye-bye, pretty ghost", called Percy out, waving. "I know, uncle Letum. I'm sorry."

/1999, New York\

Sally and Percy had just finished watching the latest – _the sixth_ – of the _Land Before Time_ movies before they went to the National Museum, because Percy really, truly loved dinosaurs, still. He was clutching his stuffed plush toy – Cera, the orange Triceratops and Percy's favorite character.

This was the day Sally Jackson was _never going to forget_.

Sally had only been distracted for a split-second, checking the plan to see where else they were going to go, when around her people started gasping and yelling. Her first instinct was to pick her six-year-old son up to keep him safe. Only that _Percy_ was the reason other people were gasping. Because Percy was cuddling with the giant Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. The skeleton was _moving_ , brushing its head against Percy's cheek, moving its tiny arms as though it was trying to hug the boy.

The dead dinosaur had come to life to _cuddle with Percy_.

That was the moment Sally knew her son was too powerful to be safe in this mortal world. Her little son of Pluto. At this rate, he would soon attract unwanted attention. Taking a shaky breath, Sally made a decision. One she had been pushing off for nearly two years now.

Ever since her lovers had suggested for her to move to the underworld and she had declined _hard_ – a child could not just grow up among the dead and the gods – Pluto and Proserpina had worked hard on convincing her of the alternative. New Rome. Apparently, it was a magical city, hidden in California. Demigods and their families lived there peacefully. Percy could go to school, grow up with other children, Sally could work there and lead a normal life with her son. And it sounded good. But it would also mean revealing Percy's existence to the gods and Sally? She was _terrified_ of how Jupiter would react. She knew the tales well enough. She just... wanted him sheltered and safe, wanted him to have a normal childhood. As Percy started playing catch with a giant actual skeleton of a dinosaur, she realized he might never have a _normal_ childhood and perhaps, growing up in a city where such things were _normal_ and where Percy could grow up with children like himself was the best thing she could do for him. Sighing, she carefully gathered him up in her arms.

"Come on, sweetie, it's time for us to visit papa and mama", declared Sally determined.

And as always, she could trust her lovers to wait in the next shadowy counter. Percy yelped happily and reached his arms out for his papa. Pluto smiled softly at his son as he leaned in to kiss Percy's nose, making the boy giggle happily. Pluto then moved on to kiss Sally gently.

"You called, love", whispered the god while Proserpina was cooing at Percy. "What is it?"

"Your... offer. New Rome", whispered Sally back, voice low. "I... Percy just made a Tyrannosaurus rex come to life in there. There is a dinosaur skeleton in there, moving around."

"Ah, that's papa's boy", declared Pluto proudly, puffing his chest out.

Percy visibly preened at his father's praise, while Proserpina laughed softly and kissed Percy's cheek. "Little troublemaker, just like his papa, huh?"

"How about you go with them to get packed while I set everything up?", suggested Pluto.

Proserpina nodded and kissed her husband briefly before taking her girlfriend's hand and guiding her and their son back to the beautiful apartment they owned. Percy clung onto the hands of both his moms, frowning confused as he felt that something was off.

"Sweetie", started Sally gently as she knelt down in front of Percy. "I need you to pack your things. Mama and I are going to give you boxes and you sort all your toys and books in there, okay? Because we're going to move to a really, really amazing place."

"...Where?", asked Percy unsure, looking from mommy to mama.

"You know how you can talk to your invisible friends and how you... played with the dinosaur earlier, sweetie?", asked Proserpina. "That's because you're a _very special_ boy. And there are... other children that are very special. And where you and mommy are going to move, you could grow up with those other special children. You could have friends who won't ever call you weird or a freak for having your invisible friends and who will understand. Does that sound good?"

Percy frowned thoughtfully and wiggled his nose in a cute way. He didn't have _any_ friends. Kids thought he was weird because he liked hanging out at the graveyard and talking to invisible people. If there were others who could understand what that was like, who would want to be his friends, that would be really super cool. And he didn't care where he lived as long as he had his mom.

/2000, New Rome\

Percy _loved_ New Rome. Most of New Rome. His mom worked in a bakery, Percy attended a school where they were taught not just boring stuff like math and spelling, but also _magic_. How to manipulate the Mist – which was like a super-strong magic veil that was everywhere. Self-defense and swords-play classes. It was really amazing. Percy loved it. And he already made friends too.

Mike Kahale was a son of Venus and from Hawaii, which was super cool. Percy loved listening to his tales of the islands. Mike was really kind and cool and like Percy's best living friend already. And then there were Dakota and Leila, a son of Bacchus and a daughter of Ceres. They really liked gardening and were really cool too. Percy occasionally helped them, because as a son of Pluto he kind of had powers over the Earth and could loosen it for them. Percy was seven years old and he loved going to school with his friends, learning to become a great hero together with them.

There were things he _didn't_ like about New Rome though. School was _hard_ – easier than in New York, because text books were in Latin here so Percy's dyslexia wasn't hindering him from understanding them, but it was still hard. And then there was Octavian, who was super-arrogant. He kept mocking Percy and making his life hard and he was so _greedy_. Octavian wanted to become praetor – which was like class president only way more important (Percy was still learning how this whole system worked). But most of the time, Percy was happy in New Rome.

"Pe—ercy, tell Petrie to stop messing with my hair!", yelped Leila.

The daughter of Ceres was running around the garden, being chased by a skeletal Pteranodon. Percy grinned broadly at his pet. They were by now six movies into Percy's favorite movie series and Percy loved his dinosaurs still as much as he had as a little boy. Only that by now, he was strong enough not just to summon skeletons from the depth, but also the strength to keep them going. Okay, sadly not as many dinosaurs as he'd like to, but he had his three best undead dino friends. Cera, Petrie and Littlefoot. A Triceratops, a Pteranodon and an Apatosaurus. Mom had taught him all the proper names, even though Percy preferred the movie-names for the races. They made way more sense to Percy, but oh well. Grinning to himself, Percy patted Cera's head.

"Percy", sighed Mike in a slightly chiding manner.

"What? I think it's funny", giggled Percy, before sighing. "Okay, okay. Petrie, stop it! Come here."

The little flyer flew over to Percy and sat down on his head, nestling into the fluffy black hair comfortably. Leila glared at Percy as she straightened her hair and joined the boys. Percy loved New Rome and he loved the friends he had made. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if he would still have to _hide_ what he was, if he still had to hide his powers in the mortal world.

"Okay, children. Are you ready for the movie? Or do you need any longer?", asked Sally.

Percy, Mike and Leila eagerly got up to rush over to Sally. She had gotten permission to leave the safety of New Rome with the three young demigods to go and see a movie (New Rome did not have a movie theater and that was _scandalous_ , if you'd ask her). Because a new Disney movie just came out – and it was about dinosaurs. There was no way Sally and Percy weren't going to see this on the big screen and since Percy now had _friends_ , of course she had asked them if they wanted to come along. While Dakota was not a fan of the idea, Mike and Leila were eager.

"Okay, children. It's important that the three of you will not run off alone. You _have_ to stay close to me", ordered Sally sternly as she took Mike and Leila by the hands.

Percy grabbed Mike's free hand and the four of them got on their merry way to San Francisco. Percy tried to listen to his mom, but he was just... easily distracted. And when he got distracted, he tended to wander off. Like when he saw a group of four children and two of them had a too familiar aura. Percy, he could see this funny colorful flicker around all people – papa explained that it was his gift, that every child of his tended to lean heavier toward certain aspects of Pluto's realm and Percy was _very heavy_ on the soul and death spectrum there. Which was why he could see ghosts so very clearly and why he controlled dead bones. He could see the souls even while they were still attached to the living and over the years, he had learned to read the auras of people. Children of Venus like Mike had a soft pink hue flickering around them, children of Ceres had this dark-green flicker of an aura. Mortals were too weak, they didn't leak their auras like demigods did.

Which meant the four children he was watching were _definitely_ demigods. A tall blonde boy with dark-blue eyes, who was talking in hushed voices with a tall girl with black hair with blue highlights, freckles sprayed over her cheeks. Each of them was holding the hand of a younger child. Both of the younger children were blonde, the girl at his hand and the boy at her hand. The two younger kids were about Percy's age. The curious thing were their auras though. The tall boy had a turquoise aura that Percy had already seen on Nathan and other children of Mercury, but the other three were the interesting ones. The younger girl's aura was dark-gray in a way Percy had _never_ seen before and it made him curious who the godly parent was, because it was a god he had never met before. But the tall girl and the younger blonde boy, _both their auras were black_. A pure pitch-black, just like Percy's, just like papa's. Blinking rapidly, Percy tried to follow the four kids.

"Percy! Percy, you are not supposed to run off like that, please don't wander off."

Percy frowned irritated, not minding his best _dead_ friend. "Hazel, stop worrying! I'll be fine. I just need to catch up with them. I wanna _know_ and _understand_. I'll be back before mom notices."

Hazel glowered at him as the ghost followed him. Percy was seven, he was _totally going to be fine_. He knew how to protect himself. Hazel just tended to worry. She always did, ever since they met years ago on the Fields in the underworld, back before she remembered who she was.

Percy had been actively seeking her out afterward and being with a son of Death had helped her regain more memories of her past life. Her name was Hazel Levesque and she was a daughter of Jupiter (but strangely enough she kept using his Greek name. Percy didn't understand that), who had been killed by a jealous, enraged Juno (again, Hazel kept calling her Hera, which didn't make sense to Percy), as Juno tended to do with the affairs and children of her husband. That was cool though, Hazel was a child of one of the Big Three too, just like Percy. They became friends, the more often Percy went to visit her. Well, the 13-year-old girl probably felt kind of protective over Percy because he was still a child? But he didn't mind. He liked that she worried for him, it was nice.

"Perseus Chthonius Jackson!", exclaimed Sally suddenly, grasping him by the arm.

Percy winced. Middle-name. Middle-name was _never_ good. Middle-name meant mom was _mad_. Percy's eyes were focused on the four children rounding the corner, disappearing out of his sight. With a sigh did Percy turn around to face his mom, the most effective kitten-pout possible on his face to pacify his mother. Hazel next to him snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, hip cocked. Moments like those were why Percy was glad he was the only one who could see her (most of the time, unless Percy concentrated his energy on materializing her, which he had done to introduce Hazel to his mom and to his friends so they knew who he kept talking to).

"Mom, I'm sorry, I just... I saw something interesting", mumbled Percy, knowing it was weak.

"Urgh. You're like a kitten. 'Oh, a butterfly, let's chase it!'...", snorted Leila and rolled her eyes.

"...Not untrue", sighed Sally. "Leila, would you mind taking Mike's hand?"

Leila shook her head and went to grab Mike's hand, while Sally took Percy's, staring sternly at her son. "Now come, children, or we're going to be late for the movie."

Percy pouted a little, because he really wanted to know what the weird gray aura meant and why the blonde boy and the dark-haired girl had the same aura as papa. But then he remembered that this was a Disney movie. About dinosaurs. So he picked up his pace to follow them.

/2001, Atlantis\

Nico _loved_ Atlantis.

Time was weird here, that was true. His big brother had explained to him that merpeople were immortal and by becoming merpeople, Nico and Bianca and their mamma had stopped aging. Due to the magical fake sunlight and day-and-night cycles, it didn't _feel_ like decades though. Nico knew that decades had passed since he left the surface world, that Italia was probably way different than when he had left it, but to him it felt more like merely months since he had left home.

Mama was working at a jewelry store in in Atlantis and Nico and Bianca had to go to school in Atlantis with lots of other merpeople, which was _the coolest thing ever_. All the Greek and Roman gods, the ones he had always loved learning about, were actually real. All the monsters and creatures were too. It was completely amazing and Nico was really in love with this city.

"Can I keep her? _Please_ , mamma?", asked Nico hopefully.

Maria sighed, resting her head in her hands as she looked at her son. She then sat down at the table, flapping her tail a couple of times as she assessed her son. Nico was offering her the wildly effective puppy-stare. Bianca was snickering to herself in the corner, knowing that there was no way Maria would be able to say no anyway. So Maria turned her attention to the other person in the room. Triton had the decency to look sheepish. Over the past decades down here, Triton had begrudgingly grown attached to his younger half-siblings. He took to training Nico personally, to teaching Bianca together with his own daughters (Bianca loved her... nieces, who were more like cousins). While Bianca soaked up all the knowledge she could, Nico was super excited about _everything_ , which was the reason Triton had grown attached to Nico. It was hard not to adore a little brother who looked up to you and wanted to learn _everything_ from you.

Which brought Maria to the current situation. Triton liked being adored by Nico, so he tended to spoil his little brother. With presents, like a _freaking Loch Ness monster_. She glared at Triton.

"Ple—ease, mamma, Tri says that she's an orphan! I promise I'll take care of her!"

Maria heaves a sigh as Nico and the Loch Ness monster were now giving her matching pleading puppy eyes. This was not fair _at all_. Triton avoided her eyes, knowing she was irritated by him.

"He got very excited when we found the young Cetus and her parents must have already passed", elaborated Triton cautiously. "They're rather easy to train, Maria."

Maria gritted her teeth. "Very well. But _you_ take her out for... for whatever the water-equivalent for walkies is. And I am so not taking this creature to a vet if something is wrong. _You_ will, Triton."

"So I can keep Nessie?", asked Nico, excitement tripping from his every word.

Maria smiled softly to herself. How would she ever be able to deny her son anything, really?

/2002, New Rome\

Percy wasn't supposed to sneak off on his own. Nine-year-old Percy didn't like to listen to such things though. He was going to be a great Roman hero one day, so he _had_ to explore. Also, mom was at work and Dakota, Leila and Mike didn't have time to play.

"You're a _mermaid_ ", gasped Percy as he reached the shore and spotted – well, a mermaid.

The mermaid turned toward him with a scowl on his face. Oh. A boy mermaid. He had a dark-blue nearly black tail, flapping it in the shallow water at the beach. He was pretty, with eyes as dark as the deepest parts of the sea and fluffy dark curls on his head.

"I'm a mer _boy_ ", corrected the boy rather offended.

Percy blinked and approached, with his favorite pet in toe. "I like your tail. I'm Percy."

"...Thank you?", grunted the merboy wearily. "I'm Nico. I... uh... like your... dinosaur?"

Percy offered a proud, toothy grin as he gently patted his skeletal companion, the dinosaur trying to hide behind him. "Thanks! That's Cera! She's a Triceratops. I named her after my favorite character from my favorite movie! Don't worry, she's harmless. She's just a little shy with strangers."

Nico blinked curiously and tilted his head. " _What_ are you?"

"I'm a son of Pluto. Most my friends are bones", hummed Percy. "What about you?"

"I'm a son of Neptune. Most _my_ friends are... sea-monsters", replied Nico softly.

"That is _so cool_ ", gasped Percy excitedly.

Nico shrugged and turned away, to pet the... purple-blue... Loch Ness monster. Percy's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared at the super-adorable Loch Ness monster that was nuzzling Nico's side. Hastily, Percy rushed over to kneel next to Nico in the water. The creature shied away.

"That's... Nessie. She's my friend", whispered Nico softly. "It's okay, Nessie. I don't think he's dangerous. Maybe a bit weird, but not dangerous."

Nessie cooed softly and poked her head out from her hiding spot, regarding the son of Pluto curiously. Percy smiled softly and carefully reached out to pat her head. Nico all the while reached out for the Triceratops skeleton. It sniffed Nico's hand and nudged it.

"So. You're a child of one of the Big Three", mused Percy curiously, tilting his head. "Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Will you come to New Rome now? _Can_ you even?"

"I...", started Nico and faltered, averting his eyes. "Jupiter found out about me and my sister. We were at the surface with mamma and he... Mamma and my sister are gone. Papà said... it's too dangerous for me to stay in Atlantis, so... so he sent me here. To this... Neo Roma. To live with other demigods, to be... _known_. So Jupiter can't try to kill me just like that again."

Percy hummed and frowned. He turned to look at Hazel, who hovered close by with a concerned frown of her own. She knew what it was like to lose everything to a god. On impulse, Percy launched himself at the merboy and hugged him fiercely. At first, Nico was frozen, but then he clung onto Percy desperately and sobbed just a little. This might just be the first time Nico was allowed to feel the loss of his family. Percy held him for what felt like hours.

"Percy? Sweetie, where are you? Dinner is getting cold!"

Percy turned a little toward where his mom was walking up to them. "Mom! This is Nico. He's a merboy. Can he stay with us? He just lost his mom."

It took Sally exactly zero point five seconds to make a decision when she saw the crying, scared child, the same age as Percy, who clung onto her son. "Of course you can. Hello, sweetie, I'm Sally. But... I'm not sure our bathtub will be suitable for you...?"

Nico blinked with his large, brown eyes up at the woman who smiled at him with the same kindness as his own mamma used to. "I—I'm Nico. And It's okay. I don't need a bathtub."

He concentrated hard, the way Triton had taught him. The next moment, his tail turned into two legs. He stared at them in fascination. He had forgotten what it felt like to have legs. Percy helped him up and he slowly followed Percy and Sally off the beach, Nessie cooing and pressing her head against his thigh in support as she waddled up next to him. Was this his new life...?

"Why... Why do you wanna take a stranger with you?", asked Nico in a small, unsure voice.

"Because you're a child", stated Sally rather firmly, squeezing his hand a little. "I'm not going to leave you on your own, honey. You can stay the night at ours, get a proper meal into you, and tomorrow, we'll go to the senate and you tell them what happened to you, mh? We'll take it nice and slow and I'll help you with everything, Nico. You're not alone."

Nico's heart fluttered at that as he stared up at her endearingly. This woman was warm and kind, like his own mamma. The thought instantly made him miss his mother and sister. Honestly, could barely remember what had happened _exactly_. They had been by the cliffs, Bianca and Nico playing with a dolphin, and then a storm... And lightning. So much lightning.

"Percy, honey, why don't you show Nico your room and give him some clothes?", suggested Sally gently as they reached a pretty, blue house. "I'll go and check on our dinner."

Percy nodded and grabbed Nico's hand to pull him along. The son of Neptune stumbled after him, still unsure about those legs and feet. Nessie and the dead dinosaur followed Percy and Nico up the stairs toward a bedroom that claimed PERCY in blue glitter paint. Nico startled as he was attacked by a skeletal bat – no, wait, also a dinosaur. This boy was incredibly weird.

"So you lived in the ocean? With other merpeople? How was that?", asked Percy eagerly.

"It was... cool", replied Nico subdued. "My... My mamma made jewelry out of corals and pearls and the treasures of the sea. My big brother Triton, he taught me and my sister Bianca how to fight and how to behave like a... like a merman." Nico paused and watched how Percy rummaged through the closet. "You're living with demigods. How is that? I only know them from the myths."

"It's awesome! Here, catch!", stated Percy, throwing a shirt and jeans at Nico. "They all have different powers. My friend Mike is a son of Venus, he can sing really prettily and charmspeak you into doing what he wants. Well, he's not really good at it yet. And my friend Leila is a daughter of Ceres, she speaks to flowers and can control plants! And my friend Dakota is a son of Bacchus, he controls plants too, especially grapes, and he throws the best parties!"

Nico just hummed and got dressed. He was way too exhausted and distracted to really focus on what the odd boy with the dinosaurs was telling him. He needed to calm down and... yes, he really needed a warm meal, as Sally had suggested. And then, then he would see what would come next.

/2005, New Rome\

Nico was laying on his back on his bed, staring at the pictures he had pinned to the underside of Percy's bed above him. Pictures of merpeople, the last photos of his family he had.

Over the past two years, he had gotten very used to New Rome. Percy had introduced him to all of his friends and showed him around. Sally was a kind and caring not-mom-but-close who had opened her home and heart to Nico and taken him in when he had no one else. The senate had allowed for Nico to stay with Sally; trusting her with him – and he was grateful for it by now. They got a bunk-bed for Percy's room and Nico moved in with them. He had grown really attached to the weird son of Pluto. Percy was kind and funny and nice and he was Nico's very best friend. He knew exactly what to say and do to cheer Nico up whenever Nico fell into a hole, missing his mom and sister – even though he had gotten better with it, because Sally made him go and see a psychiatrist to help him deal with his grief and the trauma. Nico... was glad that he had met the Jacksons.

He would never be able to express just how grateful he was to them, for giving him love and a home and care. That Percy was so willing to share everything with Nico – his home, his room, his mom, his friends. Sharing a room with Percy was pretty cool, most of the time. They stayed up really long at night playing Mythomagic, or gossiping, or even playing with their weird companions. The dinosaurs had really taken to Nico, while Nessie seemed to adore Percy. Right now, Littlefoot the long-necked dinosaur was curled together half on top of Nico, still asleep while the son of Neptune was wide-awake. He had woken up from another dream about how his mom and sister had died and he never could fall back asleep from those. Suddenly, a head pocked down.

"I have an idea", started Percy with a bright grin.

"No", grunted Nico with a deadpan.

Percy deflated a little. "But you haven't even heard it yet!"

"Will it involve dead dinosaurs and jump-scares?", asked Nico unimpressed.

"Well, yes, but-", started Percy.

"Then the answer is still _no_ ", interrupted Nico.

"But I thought we could prank Octavian", argued Percy with a pout.

"...I'm listening", drawled Nico, carefully intrigued.

Cera, sleeping on the ground in front of the bunk-bed, lifted her head curiously. The dinosaurs loved jump-scaring demigods and especially the stuck-up augur. Percy grinned broadly as he hung upside-down over the edge of his bed so he could properly look at Nico with that mischievous twinkle in his spring-green eyes. That twinkle was what always made Nico doubt Percy's parentage; Percy _had_ to be related to Mercury. Nico raised both his eyebrows as he regarded Percy.

"O—Okay. Let's get dressed and get going. We will be needing Mike's help, two gallons of glitter, two dozen balloons, a needle and a chicken", declared Percy as he jumped off the bed.

Littlefoot protested a bit as he was pushed off Nico's chest so the son of Neptune could get up too. "A chicken, Percy? What... What do we need a chicken for?"

Percy just grinned mischievously at him as he got changed. "You'll see. Just follow my lead."

Not that Nico wasn't used to that by now. They used to argue about who took the lead, but soon enough, Nico realized that Percy came up with pretty fun pranks. Often helped by his friends (apparently, Percy had learned a lot from Nathan, a son of Mercury).

"We bringing all the pets?", asked Nico curiously while struggling with his booths.

"Mh. Petrie should be enough", mused Percy thoughtfully.

"What are you up to this time?", asked Hazel as she materialized in the middle of the room.

Percy grinned toothily at her. He was _nearly_ her age now and so was Nico. Which meant she couldn't play superior bigger sister to them anymore. Nico smiled at the ghost. Despite her being a daughter of Jupiter – his family's murderer – he had grown truly fond of her, after Nico had introduced them. And with how powerful Percy was growing, it was easy for him to properly help her keep a more solid form around Nico too, so Nico and Hazel had become good friends.

"It's Percy. Do you _have_ to ask, Haze?", asked Nico playfully.

Hazel heaved a sigh and rested her hand on Cera's head, the triceratops looking up at her curiously. Honestly, sometimes it baffled Nico how _used_ he had gotten to Percy Jackson's brand of normal. Dead dinosaurs, ghost girls and pranks on high ranking members of their society all included. Not to mention the repeated marathons of the _Land Before Time_ franchise. And as weird as it was, Nico wouldn't want to miss it for the world. With a smile did he get up and follow Percy downstairs.


	2. Jason Grace & the Olympians

_Part 2: Jason Grace & the Olympians_

/Spring 2006, Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York\

Annabeth Chase was not the most sociable girl. She spent most of her time in the shade of the only big sister she had ever known. Thalia Grace, daughter of Hades and... tree. Sighing softly, Annabeth leaned more against Thalia's bark, closing her eyes and missing her friend _dearly_.

"Hey, sis. You look... like you need me to pry you away from Thals again."

Annabeth glared and turned to look at the boy who wasn't her brother but she considered him her brother anyway. Jason Grace, Thalia's little brother. Now her little brother. He was two years younger than her and he had lost his sister, his full-blood sister, the only family he had. Not to mention, he didn't have any half-siblings either. Annabeth, she now had a full cabin of half-siblings that she could rely on and joke around with. So Annabeth, she was _fiercely protective_ of Jason; he was her brother by anything but blood. They had to keep their little family together and safe, as much as possible. And as long as they still had Luke, everything would be fine. Because the son of Hermes had brought them together, had made them a family. And even without Thalia, he still protected them, he was still there for them. Annabeth was glad that Jason, instead of having a cabin all to himself and being lonely, got to live with Luke in the Hermes Cabin, even though logically speaking, it made no sense to Annabeth. Yes, Hades was not an Olympian god, but he _surely_ was not a minor god either. Yet over the past five years of living here, Annabeth had learned to accept that this camp, it truly wasn't fair. She smiled faintly as Jason sat down next to her.

"Hey, Thals", greeted the ten-year-old boy softly, leaning his head against the tree. "I miss you."

Annabeth wrapped a comforting arm around him and pulled him closer. Sure, Persephone had saved Thalia's life when she had turned Thalia into a tree. But was being a tree really a _life_? Well, to Persephone probably. She had meant well. Without her, Thalia would have _died_.

"Let's go to the lake some, until Luke and the others return from their quest?", suggested Annabeth.

Jason nodded enthusiastically. He loved building sand-castles with Annabeth because Annabeth was an architect, so they weren't just heaps of sand, they were proper structures and Jason thought they were totally amazing. Grinning, she took him by the hand and they made their way to the beach. Luke was on another quest, with Clarisse and Grover. He had started doing that two years ago, when he had been sent to retrieve a Golden Apple. At first, he had wanted to go alone, but Jason had _cried_ out of worry, because it sounded dangerous and he shouldn't go alone. Annabeth had tagged on that by logic alone, it made sense to bring backup. So he yielded to their determination. Ever since, Luke and Clarisse in particular were really close.

"A—Annabeth. You never said _mermaids are real_!", gasped Jason, tugging harder on her hand.

Annabeth wanted to open her mouth to answer him and tell him about Lord Triton, but the words were stuck in her throat when there, on the beach, sat a real, actual mermaid. Olive-skin, long black curls cascading down her back, decorated with sea-shells and pearls, her black tail disappearing into the shallow water. She was wearing a silver-white top. She was really pretty. Annabeth blushed, so stunned that she allowed Jason to pull her down toward the beach.

"You're a real mermaid?", asked the young boy excitedly as he sat down in front of her. "Hello! I'm Jason Grace, son of Hades. That's my sister Annabeth, she's a daughter of Athena. Who are you?"

The mermaid looked startled and blinked before smiling. It was a _pained_ smile though, making Annabeth frown confused. Curious, Annabeth also sat down with them, looking at the mermaid.

"I'm... My name is Bianca di Angelo. I'm the daughter of Poseidon", whispered the mermaid.

"You look sad", stated Jason with a frown. "What happened?"

Bianca smiled thinly, reaching a hand out for the boy, just to abort the motion and avert her eyes. "You remind me of someone I know. Knew. His name was Nico. He was... He was my little brother. But... But Zeus, he... My mother and my little brother are gone. They... They died a year ago. And I'm... alone. My older brother Triton sent me here, he told me I would be safe among my kind. Demigods. That this was... where I belonged..."

Bianca looked startled when Jason threw himself at her to hug her. "I'm sorry. I lost my big sister. And I still miss her. But I have my other family. You can be a part of our family too!"

Annabeth smiled softly at that. That was her Jason, always taking in strays. A lesson well-learned from Luke. Though, a daughter of Poseidon...? That promised to be interesting on the long run.

/Summer 2006, Camp Jupiter\

"The Master Bolt has been stolen", declared Octavian with his usual bravado. "And Lord Jupiter will make the thief pay. I saw it in my augury. So the _thief_ should step forward willingly."

Percy blinked doe-eyed and turned to look at Nico as Octavian seemed to fixate the duo. Twelve years old, both boys had provoked and pranked the augur _a lot_. But that Octavian would accuse them of such a thing! Nico looked enraged and the sky above them turned dark, storm-clouds gathering. Percy hastily took the other boy's hand linking their fingers. Nico slowly calmed down. Percy had that effect on the other boy; he guessed it was because Percy was a son of Hades and balanced life or something so he had a soothing effect on souls? He wasn't really sure.

The two boys returned home together, Nico stomping all the way, glaring viciously. Sally looked startled and concerned at that. And she wasn't alone either. Percy's entire face brightened as he threw himself at his father. Pluto chuckled fondly, engulfing the boy in a tight hug while Proserpina patted his hair gently and motioned for Nico to join them. Over the past nearly four years of living with the Jacksons, Nico had gotten used to the two gods occasionally dropping by. Apparently, they were still very much _involved_ with Sally. Nico knew his mamma and papà had not been together anymore and thus, Poseidon had kind of stopped dropping by. But Nico wasn't going to fault Percy's good parents for his own father's lack of care. Sighing, Nico sat down next to Proserpina.

"What has you so angry, child?", inquired Proserpina curiously.

"Octavian, that bag of dogs, said that the Master Bolt has been stolen and then he kept staring at _me and Percy_ ", growled Nico angrily. "Like he was _accusing_ us."

"He was, my boy", sighed Pluto, causing both pre-teens to look at him. "The symbol of my brother's powers has been stolen. You two, the son of Pluto and the son of Neptune, you're the main suspects. Only that... _my_ symbol of power has also been stolen. My Helmet of Darkness."

"So, what? I'm the only main suspect now?", asked Nico defensively.

"I don't quite see that", grunted Pluto and shook his head. "I _know_ you and Percy always stick together. No, but I'm here to send Percy on a quest. And if you wish to, you can accompany him."

"A quest?", echoed Nico and Percy stunned, staring wide-eyed at the god.

"To return both items. To clear your own names and to appease my brother", confirmed Pluto.

Both boys instinctively turned to look at Sally for permission and she just heaved a sigh. "Oh, they asked me first. I... know I can hardly keep you from it. You're... demigods. Heroes. And you're nearly thirteen, I know you've both been whining about going on quests. But be safe, you hear me?" Sally paused to turn toward her lovers instead. " _But_ if a single thing happens to _either_ of my boys, there will be _literal hell to pay_ for the both of you. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am", chorused Percy, Nico, Pluto and Proserpina obediently.

When Percy turned toward Nico, both boys cracked a smile. Their first official quest!

Little did they know that at the very same time, at a very similar place as their home, the very same quest was given to two other children of Hades and Poseidon. Bianca and Jason, together with Annabeth, accepted the quest to retrieve the Master Bolt. And despite all five of them looking for the same thing, they managed not to run into each other. While Annabeth, Jason and Bianca were outsmarting Medusa, Nico was fighting Echidna. As Percy was battling against Mars, the three Greeks were stuck at the Lotus Hotel and Casino. And when Nico and Percy victoriously returned the two symbols of the gods, the Greeks were simply informed that the symbols had been returned, making it look like the real thief had backed down in the face of Zeus' wrath.

While this mission was not a victory for the Greeks, it was one for the Romans. And Nico and Percy found themselves highly celebrated. They were laughing delighted with Mike, Dakota and Leila while Octavian kept glowering at them. Even their current praetors, Gwen and Nathan, praised the two boys highly. It sure was the most amazing birthday Percy had ever had.

"You're now officially Roman heroes", stated Leila with a broad grin. "In one line with Aeneas and Romulus! This is _amazing_. I can't believe you fought against Lord Mars!"

"To Nico and Percy! To our living legends!", declared Dakota, lifting his glass high.

"To our living legends!", cheered everyone around them.

/Summer 2007, Camp Half-Blood\

Luke and Chris looked up from the card-game they were playing at the repeated thumping of a ball hitting the wall. Jason was _bored_. And a bored Jason was rather exhausting. Chris smiled wryly.

"Jay, what's bothering you?", asked Luke fondly.

"I'm _bored_. Annie is spending _all her time_ with Bia these days. Last summer we had a quest. Do you think we'll get another quest this year?", asked Jason hopefully.

Luke laughed softly. Yes, it really was hard to separate Bianca and Annabeth these days. Jason thought it was unfair, but Luke saw that it might just become something quite different. He thought it was endearing too. Bianca listened to Annabeth's rambling about architecture like it was the most fascinating thing possible – which it was for the girl who grew up under the sea. In return, Annabeth asked so many questions about Atlantis and also about its architecture. They were very well-balanced as sparring partners. Chris chuckled and ruffled Jason's hair, making the boy huff.

"Luke!", exclaimed a panicked voice, disturbing their peace.

Silena came barging in, distressed and wide-eyed. Luke was instantly alert, sword at the ready. But Silena's eyes fell on Jason and they softened into something unfathomably sad.

"It's... Thalia's tree. It has been... poisoned", whispered Silena gently. "I'm so sorry."

The three and everyone else still in the cabin instantly followed Silena out and toward the tree. Annabeth was kneeling next to it, angry and with dried tears on her cheek. Bianca was kneeling next to her, gently holding the blonde and soothing her. Luke felt sick to his stomach as he pulled a sobbing Jason into his arms and buried his face in the blonde hair. Who would do that?!

"Clarisse, she is... taking a quest", whispered Silena gently, resting a hand on Luke's shoulder.

"I'm coming with her!", declared Annabeth determined as she looked up, her eyes on fire.

"So will I", agreed Bianca, startling Annabeth. "What? She said the quest involves sailing. I'm the daughter of Poseidon. It would be ridiculous not to take me along."

"A girl-crew", grunted Clarisse, arms crossed and amusement in her eyes before she turned toward Luke seriously. "I will avenge her. I know what she meant... means to you, Luke."

Luke nodded gratefully at his friend. He knew she could handle herself well and he knew that Annabeth would be safe with Clarisse. All Luke had to do was keep watch over Jason and find whoever had done this to Thalia. Glaring angrily, he rested a hand against the bark of her tree.

/Autumn 2007, New Rome\

The summer had been exciting. The Jackson household had grown some more and the boys now had a triple bunk-bed in their room, the youngest member of the household having gotten the upper bunk. His name was Tyson and he was just a child. A cyclops child. Triton had brought him to Camp Jupiter earlier this year, apparently Neptune had sent them, had hoped that Tyson might help Nico and Nico might help Tyson. The two did get along and Nico flourished in his new role as an older brother. Percy too totally adored Tyson and the young boy gladly accepted them both as his new big brothers, adoring them both and _loving_ all the pets in the house. So the summer had been very exciting for Nico and Percy, showing Tyson around and teaching him everything.

"Perce, what are you doing?", asked Nico curiously as he entered their bedroom.

Percy, who had just been standing with his back facing the room and his face against the wall, turned around toward Nico. He wanted to answer, but he found himself missing the words as he stared at the other boy. Nico was only wearing sweat-pants, the towel still around his neck as water ran down his torso. The son of Neptune _could_ dry-will himself, but he preferred using towels. It was the thing that this did to Percy that bothered him though. Nico had a well-defined six-pack by now, from already spending years training hard. The way his muscles flexed as he ruffled his hair dry and how the water ran down his chest was so gorgeous. Blushing, Percy shook that off. Recently, he had found himself staring at Nico far more often. He wasn't stupid, he knew what it meant. He had a crush on Nico. A huge crush. But that wasn't good. So not good. Nico _was his best friend_. Percy couldn't be falling for his best friend. And his best friend he shared a room with!

"Pe—ercy? Feel like answering?", asked Nico amused while grabbing a shirt.

"Right. Uhm. Sorry. Playing hide and seek with the others", grinned Percy, before calling loudly. "I'm done counting, so I'm coming to find you guys now! You better be hidden!"

Nico nodded in understanding, smiling as he spotted Petrie nesting in Nico's shirts. Good hiding spot. Nessie cooed softly when Nico sat down next to her on the bed. His eyes were trained on Percy as the son of Pluto started searching for the others. He grabbed a book to read until Percy had found everyone. Nico put his book down again when the pile in front of the bed got too loud. Percy and Tyson were buried under Cera, Petrie and Littlefoot. Hazel sat next to them, watching them fondly. She was half-see-through and surrounded by a golden glow, but by now Nico had grown oddly used to one of his best friends being a ghost. It did give her an unfair cheating advantage in hide and seek though, one she had undoubtedly used considering the cute pout on Percy's lips. They made the perfect picture and it made Nico smile amused.

"Who wants to go to the beach? Nessie could use a swim", declared Nico.

"Me!", exclaimed Tyson eagerly and jumped up. "Me, me, me, me, _me_!"

"Beach sounds good. You boys are so holed up at home all the time, the highest of your feelings is the training arena", agreed Hazel in that chiding big-sister-tone she never had shaken off.

Together, they left the house and headed out toward the beach. He too found himself missing the ocean often, so it was nice to go there together with Nessie. His faithful Cetus companion was the only reminder he had left of his life in Atlantis. And while he still longed for it at times, he was also... happy. Here. With Percy, Sally, Tyson, their friends. Especially after the last summer, when Nico and Percy got to prove themselves as heroes. It had been truly _exciting_. Fighting side by side with Percy, slaying real monsters, fighting for the good. Nico smiled just thinking of it.

"There's a ship!", stated Tyson curiously, pointing into the distance.

Nico and Percy frowned and exchanged a look as they walked closer toward the water. Nessie cooed happily as she waddled into the water and submerged. Percy had a hand in his pocket, undoubtedly gripping Riptide tightly. He had gotten the sword from the gods as a reward after returning the Master Bolt. Nico, he had gotten a shield. The Aegis. Or, well, _an_ Aegis, forged with the head of Medusa. The up-side of monsters dying repeatedly. You could mass-produce with their trophies. It was also really handy because it retracted into a watch.

"That's... something like a boat", muttered Nico skeptically, hand on the handle of his own sword.

It wasn't much of a boat, rather shabby, and as it hit the shore, it looked ready to come apart. But the Latina stepping down from it looked every bit like a queen as she held herself tall and proud.

"And who might you be?", asked Nico, pushing Nessie and Tyson behind himself.

"I am Reyna. I'm a daughter of Bellona", stated the girl fiercely. "I'm here... to seek shelter. I was sent this way, to find a place, a safe haven for demigods. Judging by your company, I assume you are demigods. Can you... show me the way?"

Somehow, Percy didn't like the awestruck way in which Nico stared at Reyna. "Sure. We can show you to New Rome. After you tell us where you come from."

"I come from an island that was destroyed by some... troublemakers", replied Reyna, holding Nico's gaze the entire time she spoke. "I have no place to go and I have... no one... left."

"Sounds like New Rome is exactly where you belong", declared Percy with a friendly smile.

Little did the boys know that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. One that was formed and strengthened only months later when Reyna joined the boys on a quest to Mount Othrys, where they ended up battling Atlas. After all, it was the Romans' home-turf. They had to take care of this and had to send their best heroes to do so. Nico and Percy. But Reyna? She had trained hard and worked hard, harder than anyone else. She was an exceptional fighter and she was an exceptional leader. Something that Percy and Nico, admittedly, could use. Sure, they had proven themselves, but both were rather reckless. Percy tended to throw himself into danger head-first and Nico, without a second thought, jumped right after him to make sure someone got Percy's back. Reyna? She proved to really have their backs too and to know how to control them.

She earned her place among them, and with it, the friendship between Nico and Reyna was born.

/Summer 2008, Entrance to Daedalus' Labyrinth\

"You kids be safe. This is dangerous", warned Sally seriously, hugging Percy tightly.

The labyrinth of Daedalus had appeared all over the place, an entrance even inside of New Rome, another seemingly leading to Alcatraz. New Rome sent a quest out to scout and destroy it. Nico and Reyna stood grimly at either side of Percy, weapons and backpacks with provisions at the ready. Hazel stood behind Percy, determined to come along too. A ghost who could literally go through walls seemed mighty helpful with a labyrinth and Percy's connection to the underworld – or generally the world under the surface – would prove to be rather useful too. Nico and Reyna dropped their badass attitude as Sally walked over to them and pulled them both into a hug too. Tyson stood pouting behind Sally. The cyclops was dying to go with them, but Sally deemed him too young to go on quests. Percy looked up at Tyson seriously.

"Listen up, you got a really important mission too, Ty. You keep mom and the others safe while we're gone, okay? Who knows what will come through that entrance", warned Percy.

Tyson puffed out his chest, rather proud of the responsibility, before he hugged Percy tightly. Nico smiled softly. He loved that Percy knew how to talk to Tyson. Nico himself, he was still struggling a lot with the sudden role of being a big brother.

"Time to go, boys", ordered Reyna, shoulders square and eyes sharp.

The quest itself was hard and weird though. The labyrinth was confusing and they got separated on the way, Nico and Reyna, Percy and Hazel. Percy was glad he had her to rely on. Even though he was by now older than her, physically speaking, she never shed the fussing big sister mindset that she has had ever since she had first found the crying little boy in the underworld.

"Nico and Reyna will be fine. They're strong and well-trained", assured Hazel gently.

He sighed softly as he looked at her. He knew that. Of course did he know that. But it didn't change just how worried he was. Nico was his... _his Nico_. A thing he had come to terms with over the last year. Fourteen-year-old Percy was ready to admit that he was totally in love with his best friend. Every time Nico and Percy sat together all night, whispering oh-so softly when Nico woke up from a nightmare, when both would watch movies together, when they cooked together and laughed together and trained together and yes also when they went on their quests together.

"You're so cute", whispered Hazel with a small giggle. "Oh, don't try to hide it."

Percy blushed and ducked his head, glaring at Hazel as they continued on their way, until they ran straight into a blonde girl. The girl was instantly weary and had a dagger to Percy's throat. He was so startled that someone else aside from him and his friends was down here, he nearly forgot to react. Only for a moment though and with the help of Hazel, the blonde girl startled for long enough so Percy could get Riptide out and block her knife. He stayed tense, though he was stunned as he saw the aura surrounding the girl. Dark-gray like storm-clouds swirling close around her. In all his life, he had ever only seen such an aura _once_.

"Who—What are you?", asked Percy tensely, holding tightly onto Riptide.

The girl looked like a Valkyrie, fierce and deadly. But damn, that bright orange shirt she was wearing was tacky as heck. Wait. He really needed to spend less time with Mike, the son of Venus' fashion taste was kind of rubbing off on him. He took a step back.

"Annabeth! Where are you?", called a voice from behind.

The blonde – Annabeth – turned toward the female voice. "I'm right here, Bia!"

"Percy, I found Reyna", urged Hazel on, poking her head through a wall.

By the time Annabeth turned back toward the weird boy in purple, he was gone. He and his house-ghost – or whatever that had been. Glaring, she contemplated following him, but in the end, when Bianca called her name again, she rushed over to her... Bianca. Her ears burned. Was this bad? That they were _something_ but Annabeth was not brave enough to ask _what_? They had shared looks and moments and according to Silena, those 'mean something'. But according to Silena, Annabeth also ought to talk to Bianca about this and _how could she_. She was a daughter of Athena; feelings were not her forte. And whenever Bianca smiled at her, Annabeth felt like all words were failing her anyway so there was no physical way of expressing herself anyway.

 _Focus, Annabeth, this quest is important_ , she berated herself. And it was. Annabeth, Bianca, Clarisse and Jason took the quest together. Luke had glared at them, warned them to be careful, that quests should be taken in sets of three. But Jason, thirteen now, had insisted. And after his sister, only just returned from being a tree, had decided to _join the hunt_... Annabeth really had to take her little brother under her wing, because they were both still suffering from it. In the end, that was why Luke had also allowed them to go, because he knew they needed the bonding. And it had not helped when they had run into _Rachel Elizabeth Dare_ , the annoying redhead who had already tried to ruin Annabeth's trip to the dam with Bianca – the closest to a date she had ever gotten. And now Rachel was _all over_ Bianca. Annabeth hated it, she hated-hated- _hated_ it. Silena told her to get her act together and just tell Bianca, but that was really not any useful advise.

"Chase, where did you wander off to?", asked Rachel irritated.

Annabeth glared back at her and the tension was thick. Bianca sighed and stepped in between them, resting a gentle hand on Annabeth's shoulder. She blushed at the daughter of Poseidon, until Jason did his ever-inappropriate gagging noises. Sometimes, Annabeth just wanted to push him off a cliff.

She came to regret those thoughts not even an hour later when Jason was _just missing_.

Only, only Jason wasn't really missing. He had _kind of_ accidentally exploded off into an island. If that made sense. It didn't really, not to him. He had just been at Hephaestus' workshop, now he woke up in the arms of a beautiful, caramel-haired girl.

"Hello", whispered the girl gently as she brushed his hair out of his face. "I'm Calypso."

For the first time in his life, he understood it. For the first time, he got why Annabeth always acted so stupid around Bianca and why intimidating Beckendorf turned into a soft puppy for Silena and why Clarisse _blushed_ when with Chris. The two weeks Jason spent on Ogygia with Calypso, he learned what love actually felt like. By the time Jason was fully healed again, he knew he could not leave without her. He could not leave her behind like everybody else always had.

"Jason...", sighed Calypso softly as they stared at the raft that had appeared for him. "Just go, please. You said your family would be waiting for you. You can't take me with you."

Jason frowned at that. No. He refused to do that. His eyes found the darkest shadows close-by, where Calypso's hut threw a long shadow in the evening sun. Okay, he could totally do that. He wasn't Thalia, he wasn't as strong as she, but he also _wasn't Thalia_ – he was not going to abandon someone he cared about just like that. He grabbed her around the waist, startling her, pulling her close. And then he concentrated on the shadows, opening them up. Calypso made a surprised sound as she clung tightly onto him. Now all he had to do was concentrate on Annabeth, he could totally find her _anywhere._ He was Jason Grace, he was _the_ son of Hades. He could bend the shadows, he didn't need a raft. He could get out of here and he could take Calypso with him.

And that was exactly what he did. Even though he instantly collapsed afterward, because he had never shadow-traveled with someone else and it was _exhausting_ and he just wasn't as strong as Thalia, but he also _wasn't like Thalia_ – he had succeeded and _not_ left Calypso behind.

"Stupid, moronic shadow-boy", hissed Annabeth as she hit him on the arm.

"Ouch", groaned Jason as he slowly came to it again.

"Boy, you are in so much trouble", chuckled Bianca fondly.

She was sitting with Rachel and Calypso around a campfire. He blinked blearily as he came to it again fully. He really had done it. He was a hero, all on his own. Without Luke, or Thalia, or Annabeth. Just him. The thought made him crack a smile. One that grew when Calypso leaned in to peck his cheek. Apparently, he had blushed _hard_ , because Annabeth snorted at him.

"Shut up, stupid sister", muttered Jason. "I stopped making gagging-noises when you and di Angelo stare deeply into each other's eyes, but I can totally start doing it again."

Annabeth sputtered, her blush far darker than Jason's and that was rather satisfying to watch, especially coupled with the wide-eyed expression on Bianca's face.

/Autumn 2008, New Rome\

"War...", whispered Percy lowly where he was curled together on the bed.

Nico beneath him grunted and caressed his hair. It was probably questionable that they still sneaked into each other's beds at age fifteen and Percy knew he had different motivations. Well, not really. The motivations were still the same – seeking safety, warmth and the one person they knew understood them. It were the feelings this invoked in him that made him feel guilty.

"Look at what we've been through in the past three years", whispered Nico back, lips pressed against Percy's hair. "We retrieved the Master Bolt and the Helmet of Darkness after Bryce had them stolen. We defeated Lord Mars when he turned from the gods. We fought Atlas. We fought the armies of Lord Saturn in the labyrinth before it collapsed. You and me, together."

Percy smiled faintly at that, heart fluttering. "Just you and me...? What about... Reyna?"

Nico grunted confused by that. "Well, yeah. Reyna, Mike, Dakota, Leila, Nathan and Gwen and _everyone_. It's a war, Perce. You fight a war with an army."

"No, I mean... because you said... you and I. Not, you know, you and I and Reyna", muttered Percy a little frustrated. "I... thought, you and her, you spent a lot of time together. And all."

"Are you asking me if I'm dating her?", asked Nico confused.

"Uhm. Well...", drawled Percy before he gathered his wits because they were about to face a war and he was not going in not knowing where things stood. "Yeah. I mean... It's okay. I just... we're best friends and I figured you'd... tell me, you know?"

Nico shifted a little uncomfortably, staring at the wall. "I'm... Uh. We kissed. Once. And... I... I realized I really don't like girls. I _thought_ we could date too, because I never got along with a girl the way I do with her. I thought that meant... that I loved her. But... But I think... I'm gay."

"Gay?", echoed Percy stunned, staring wide-eyed at the son of Neptune, but he backtracked fast when Nico retreated from him. "T—That's totally okay! I, uh, I'm just... surprised. I'm not... not judging you. I... I mean, I think I'm... half-gay? Like, I like boys, but I also like girls?"

"Half-gay?", repeated Nico before he laughed softly, burying his face in Percy's neck. "You're adorable. That's called bisexual. There's a term for it."

"Oh...", grunted Percy surprised. "How... do you... uh... know that?"

"I... talked to your mom", admitted Nico flustered, scratching his cheek. "After I kissed Reyna and realized I didn't like girls like that, I totally freaked out. It... It was one of the weekends you were in the underworld with your other parents. I... I talked to Sally. She was super supportive and did a lot of research _with me_ and... told me that it's okay and all. Your mom is amazing."

"I... know", grinned Percy a little. "Maybe... I should talk to her about this too."

"Well, for now we're going to war, huh?", grunted Nico, patting his hair. "We got training early tomorrow morning, so we're prepared for the war to come. So we should really sleep."

"Sleep... sounds good", nodded Percy carefully. "Good night, Nico."

"Night, Perce", replied Nico gently, pulling the blanket closer.

The only sound in the room was the loud snoring from Tyson and Nessie as the boys drifted off.

/Winter 2008, Battle of Manhattan\

Bianca sat solemnly outside the room of the hotel they had occupied after New York succumbed to Morpheus' slumber. She watched Beckendorf and Silena, kissing and clinging onto each other.

Drew Tanaka had betrayed them. Betrayed them for the lure of power and fame. Silena felt like she had failed and she had thrown herself into this war, even though she was not a fighter. But oh, she had fought tooth and nail to convince Clarisse to join even when Clarisse didn't want to.

"Will said that Annabeth isn't going to wake up any time soon", stated Luke casually as he slid down next to Bianca and sat down. "But I figured you might want to be with her."

"Mh?", grunted Bianca confused, blinking dazed as she looked at him.

He sighed as he turned to lock eyes with her. "I'm sorry this is all piling up on you, Bianca. A girl should throw a better Sweet Sixteen than one organized by her murderous grandpa. But I really think that whatever happens tomorrow, you should talk to her about your feelings."

Bianca averted her gaze and flushed a little. It was true that Annabeth made her feel things. Odd things, these days. Bianca used to have a huge crush on Silena and a slight one on Thalia, in the short months she had known the daughter of Hades, but Annabeth? It was so much more intense.

"You're... maybe right", sighed Bianca and squared her shoulders.

Luke offered her a half-smile as he patted her on the shoulder in silent motivation. When Bianca entered the hotel room where Annabeth had been brought to after getting injured during the fight today, she instantly spotted both Graces on either side of Annabeth's bed. Things between Thalia and Jason were still a little tense after she had joined the hunt to avoid being the child of the prophecy. But both cared deeply for Annabeth and worried about her.

"Hey, how... is she?", asked Bianca softly.

"Good", grunted Jason, looking at Bianca for a long moment. "C'mon, Thales. I... You haven't met my girlfriend yet. Cally is somewhere around here, helping the Apollo kids. And I haven't shown you my cool new puppy either. Her name is Mrs. O'Leary and you're gonna love her."

Bianca smiled faintly at him. He had grown up a lot since she met the little wide-eyed boy. As always, the thought made her wonder what Nico would be like now. How grown-up teenage Nico would be, how he would have fated in this war. Jason nodded at her, like a silent blessing that he approved of her _finally_ figuring things out, before he led Thalia out of the room, leaving only Bianca and the still unconscious Annabeth back in the room.

"Annie", whispered Bianca gently as she sat down next to the blonde, taking her hand. "You... really scared me there, girl. You can't die. I'd have to go on a quest with Jason to retrieve your soul from the underworld then. And you just know that would be a mess, right?"

Annabeth laughed softly, giving away that she was indeed awake. Storm-gray eyes slowly blinked open so Annabeth could smile up at her. She looked beaten but as beautiful as ever.

"Right. No quest for just you and Jason, so no dying", laughed Annabeth roughly.

"Good girl", grinned Bianca, slowly leaning in closer. "Can... Would you allow me to kiss you?"

"W—What?", sputtered Annabeth wide-eyed and red-cheeked. "Y—Yes. _Yes_. Did I hit my head?"

"You did, but this isn't a hallucination", chuckled Bianca as she leaned in to kiss her.

She was pretty sure she saw sparks as their lips touched. Carefully, she grasped the back of Annabeth's head to steady her, Annabeth's arms winding around Bianca's neck to hold onto her as they deepened the kiss until Bianca basically collapsed next to her on the bed. Both of them laughed softly as they laid in a heap of limbs. And for that moment alone, Bianca knew they could win.

/January 2009, New Rome\

They had won the war. Sometimes, Percy still couldn't quite believe it. Actually, he really couldn't because he didn't know _how_ they won. They fought, yes, but not against Saturn. He didn't know how they managed to win a fight if they never even faced the big bad? Mamma and papà had been utterly vague about it and claimed that the gods had taken care of it, but Percy wasn't a fool; he knew when his parents were lying to him. Still, in the end it didn't matter, as long as they won.

And now they got to celebrate Nico's birthday together, Sweet Sixteen.

Nico laughed as he blew out the candles. Hazel, Mike, Dakota, Leila, Reyna, Percy and Sally around him cheered and clapped before he started cutting the cake. There were whines coming from the ground, where Nessie, the three dinosaurs and the newest additions to their group were sitting – Aurum and Argentum, two automatons that had bonded with Reyna.

"Can't believe Nico's now all grown up", teased Reyna, elbowing her best friend.

"Excuse me, but he is only sixteen. As of now, still a child", corrected Sally, cutting the cake.

She served it to the gathered group of teens. Dakota gladly and greedily took two. He had been doing a lot of stress-eating, because his broken leg from the war was still healing and he was frustrated with the crutches. Leila glared judgmentally at her boyfriend, but he ignored her.

"Here. I, uh, got you this...", drawled Percy while Hazel was talking with Reyna.

Nico blinked as he took the dark-blue box from him. Percy looked flustered, which was strange. It wasn't the first gift Percy had given him, after all? Frowning, Nico opened the box to take out the bracelet. It was one of those that were made of one piece of metal, open so he could adjust the size and slip it on. One end of the silver metal was shaped like a merman holding a sapphire up, the other side was shaped like a skeletal dinosaur whose eye was an emerald, merman and dinosaur facing one another but not touching. Nico slipped it on and looked at it, smiling. It was the perfect representation of himself and Percy, the stupid little Jurassic King.

"It's... beautiful, Percy", whispered Nico lowly. "I love it."

"Good", grinned Percy, ducking his head as he looked at Nico with soft eyes.

Nico felt his face fall as he got lost in Percy's eyes. That soft smile on Percy's lips that lit the entire room up. His beautiful eyes shone brightly like Nico had just said something amazing. This very moment, Nico had a horrible realization. _Good lords, I am so in love with this beautiful dork_.

Good lords, Nico di Angelo was in love with his best friend. He startled out of the realization as the others started to pile gifts up on him. Okay, this was a crisis to be contemplated later. Much later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PJatO. I warned y'all that I won't be doing some elaborate rewrite. Most happens as in the books, just with different characters. Significant changes, I spelled out.
> 
> One note of importance, regarding the age of the di Angelos: Yes, Nico turned 16 only 2 months after Bianca. Because while Nico was instantly brought to the surface world, Bianca spent an additional year under the sea, where - as explained in chapter one - time works differently. Making them nearly the same age by the time Bianca does join the surface world again.
> 
> Anyway. So. Percy - super gone on Nico. Nico - mortified at the realization that he is in love with Percy. And yes, Nico and Reyna kissed. Bitch about it if you want, but I like the idea of Nico having a normal gay freakout, in this world where he got raised in a proper family, thinking he might be straight because there is this girl he gets along super well with.
> 
> Enough rambling. Next chapter (posted on the 21st February), grand finale, the plot of HoO, the reunion of the di Angelos, Percy meeting his Greek half-siblings and of course Nicercy getting together. ;D


	3. The Heroes of Olympus

_Part 3: The Heroes of Olympus_

/February 2009, New Rome\

"Re—eyna", groaned Nico as he collapsed next to his best friend.

Reyna raised one eyebrow and put her book aside. She patted her lap and Nico gladly leaned back to rest his head on her thigh, looking up at her like the most miserable puppy ever. Aurum and Argentum on either side of Reyna looked at Nico curiously, sniffing the son of Neptune.

"What did you do this time?", asked Reyna slightly amused, carding her fingers through Nico's hair.

"In two days is Valentine's Day. What do I get Percy?", asked Nico frustrated.

"You never had a problem with that", grunted Reyna confused. "You always make chocolate for him and Sally. Too much chocolate, but they love it."

"Ye—eah, but that's... that was...", drawled Nico and groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"...What happened, Nico?", asked Reyna concerned, caressing Nico's curls again.

"...I'm... in love with... Percy", admitted Nico lowly, cheeks flushing.

"What? When did that happen?", asked Reyna surprised, eyes wide.

"It... I don't know _when_ it happened, but... but I realized that it had happened on my birthday", muttered Nico with a pout. "I... Just... he was being so cute and sweet and all I could think about was... was that I loved this dork... And... And now I can't even... I mean... every time I'm alone with him, I get nervous and confused about what to say, because I'm afraid I'll give away my feelings. I mean, he's my oldest friend and we literally share a room, so what if my feelings make him uncomfortable and ruins our friendship, or makes Sally... not... not kick me out, because she never would, but I mean, I can't be sharing a room with the boy I love."

"That's...", drawled Reyna, blinking slowly. "You're ridiculous. Okay. Something better than chocolate. Something to show him that you _love_ him... but not chase him away."

Nico grunted in agreement, looking up at her pleadingly, but all she could do was shake her head. She had no idea what to do with that. She loved both Nico and Percy a lot and the thought of them being a couple would actually ridiculously cute. She also understood why Nico was nervous though. Humming softly, she started braiding his curls while he thought about it.

/March 2009, Camp Half-Blood\

Percy frowned curiously as he played with the pendant he had gotten for Valentine's Day from Nico. It was shaped like a dinosaur skull and it was caved out of a shell. It was absolutely beautiful and Percy _loved_ it, but it also confused him a little bit. Not the first piece of jewelry Percy and Nico had given to each other, starting with the friendship bracelets they had made when they were thirteen. One a son of Pluto – wealth and metals and gems – and the other the son of Neptune – pearls and shells and corals. Jewelry was a really easy kind of present for them both to make. The thing was that usually, on Valentine's Day, Percy and Nico gave each other chocolate and flowers for Sally. Never something materialistic like this. It... It nearly felt like a _romantic_ gesture, but that was probably just Percy projecting his own stupid feelings onto Nico. The two of them had always been close and it was easy to misinterpret the closeness; the lasting hugs, the casual cuddles, the random gifts, sharing a bed for napping or when one had a nightmare.

"That's a pretty necklace", noted the gorgeous blonde in front of Percy.

She smiled kindly at him, her aura flaring in a soft-pink that reminded Percy of Mike. Venus. No. _Aphrodite_. Percy straightened up and smiled at the Greek demigod. He had known that if he would just stand here long enough and wait, someone would get curious about the intruder and approach.

"Thank you. My best friend made it for me", replied Percy.

"You're new here, sweetie?", asked the blonde, looking at him curiously. "These days, a _lot_ of new demigods arrive at camp. I'm sorry if we met already and I forgot... I'm Silena Beauregard, head of Aphrodite Cabin. What cabin do you belong to? You look a little lost."

"I... uh...", started Percy and shifted with an awkward smile. "Yeah, I'm new. I'm Percy Jackson. I'm a son of... of P—Persephone. I'm afraid I don't really know where to go just yet...?"

He did the best 'poor, stray kitten, please take me home with you'-eyes that, according to everyone who knew him, never failed. Silena instantly melted and she cooed softly as Percy concentrated very hard and made one of the blossoms at their feet bloom properly. His access to nature magic was limited, but Proserpina's blessing was enough to give him some basic control. It was the easiest cover, really. Coming here, claiming to be the son of Hades? Not safe. Big Three were gods that brought a lot of attention with them. Persephone? Minor goddess, pretty plants, no danger.

"Come, let me show you to Hermes Cabin, sweetie", suggested Silena with a smile.

Percy had found out about the existence of the so-called Camp Half-Blood (the heck kinda boring name was that? Thankfully enough the Romans hadn't named their camp Camp Demigod or something equally lame...). Because after the Titan War, Percy had just not been able to shake the feeling off that something was seriously odd about the whole affair. The gods fought the war themselves? Took out Saturn on their own? And what had been that odd aggressive blonde with the tacky orange shirt he had met in the Labyrinth? There were things happening, things no one was willing to explain to him. If his parents refused to, then he was going to get his answers from uncle Letum. The bewinged god had _not_ been a fan of Percy's questions, but he was stubborn. He did not drop it and kept Letum from a total of three dates with Triton – by the third, the merman had materialized personally to scold Letum and the Death God felt cornered. It had been Triton, in the end, who had given Percy the answer he had truly sought.

Roman and Greek gods were less a matter of tomato and toma-toe, as Percy had assumed so far, it was actually a real distinction. Well, he had kind of known that, that Greek demigods were different from Romans. They did have history classes at school, after all. The whole American Civil War and such, but they were taught that Greeks had died, that Romans were the ones to come out on top. Now he knew that Greeks were still very much alive. There were Roman demigods and there were Greek demigods. Both had their own camps and societies and were kept apart, according to Triton, because it made the gods seriously schizophrenic otherwise and apparently the gods were trying to avoid a second Civil War kind of situation, so they were made believe Greeks had died.

Percy, being Percy, had to investigate this further. He had to _see_ those Greeks for himself. Especially after he kind of confirmed his theory about Hazel. Because she had always referred to her father as 'Zeus', not as 'Jupiter'. So far, he had always assumed it to be a matter of, well, potato and pota-toe. Apparently, it wasn't. And thus, when he got come, he concentrated on her aura, tried to dissect it – and did find some differences. There had always been something... off about Hazel. A buzzing that hadn't felt right; Percy had assumed it was because she was, well, _dead_ , but apparently it was because he was Roman and she was Greek, so his Pluto-heritage didn't really like her soul.

Obviously, Percy had to meet the Greeks and look at what they were up to, which was why he was currently being lead to something called the Hermes Cabin by a lovely daughter of Ven—Aphrodite. Okay. The whole name-thing was going to be confusing and he would do better if he'd just avoid using godly names in total to avoid any slip-ups.

"Luke! I bring your newest roommate", called Silena out as she knocked on a door.

They were in the middle of camp. Which. Actually looked like a summer camp? Vastly different from Camp Jupiter. And there were only twelve cabins in total, all with a different theme it seemed. A lanky, blonde guy with a scar on his face opened the doors, looking curious.

"Percy Jackson, son of Persephone", introduced Silena. "Meet Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and head of Hermes Cabin. Since... your mother isn't an Olympian, you will be rooming with them."

What? Not an Olympian, so Mercury? What kind of logic was _that_? They seriously had not a valid system in place to distribute cabins? They only crammed them together by godly parent...? Greeks were _weird_. But for now, Percy was going to play along, because he wanted to _learn_.

"Hi", greeted Percy with a shy smile, peeking past Luke.

"Come on in, kiddo", offered Luke with a kind smile, opening the door wide. "We're still in the middle of building cabins for the minor gods, but since we only started doing so a few weeks ago... Well. But you'll feel right at home with us, we'll make sure of it."

"It... looks crammed", noted Percy carefully, staring at the sleeping bags on the floor.

"We've recently... cut a deal with the gods and it's still a work in progress", chuckled Luke sadly. "More and more are now claiming their unclaimed children, such as you I assume, because usually our new arrivals are younger. You're, what, sixteen?"

"Fifteen", replied Percy and wiggled his nose.

Luke laughed at that and ruffled his hair. "Well, see. Many new demigods but not yet enough cabins. So it's been rather crowded in here. But no worries, we're all friends here."

"Some more than just friends", noted another boy with a mischievous wink.

He was looking over to a couple curled together on one bed. A blonde boy with a scar on his lip and a caramel-haired girl. They were kissing, at least until the comment. Both bolted apart, the girl blushing and the boy glaring and then throwing a pillow.

"Shut up, Chris! You and Clarisse are way worse", huffed the boy.

"Percy, meet Chris, Jason and Calypso", introduced Luke. "Calypso is... a titan. Daughter of Atlas."

"The one thing I hate about this camp", sighed Calypso exhausted. "This... urge to define yourself through your parentage. What is the point of that, really?"

"I like the way you think", noted Percy with a snort.

"Who's he?", asked Jason curiously, getting off his bed to look at him.

"Percy Jackson... son of Persephone", stated Percy, thrusting his hand out in greeting. "You?"

"Jason Grace, son of Hades", grunted Jason, shaking his hand. "You got any fighting experience? I could teach you how to use a sword! Never got to mentor a newbie before."

"Jason", sighed Luke and shook his head. "No, actually, never mind. Go and show him the arena. It would be good for Percy to get a basic grasp on it. You've been really restless since the war ended."

Jason just grinned and grabbed Percy's hand. Percy, still too stunned by the fact that _this was a son of Hades_. Calypso pulled Jason in for a brief kiss before she went and left with Silena, while Percy was being pulled along by Jason. Who was apparently _his brother_.

"Hades? Like... the king of the underworld? Husband of Persephone?", asked Percy slowly.

"Heh. Yeah", chuckled Jason. "Guess we're like step-siblings then, huh?"

Oh, so much more than that. Percy stared in stunned silence at Jason. How had his parents never mentioned this to him before?! That was... This... Oh, they had some explaining to do. For now, Percy allowed for himself to be dragged toward the so-called arena to pretend he had no idea how to use a sword and allow his _baby brother_ to explain to him how sword-fighting worked.

The thing was, Percy actually _liked_ Jason. Jason was fun to spend time with, he was kind of endearing, gladly sharing his tales of bravery with Percy. Which was a good thing, because this way Percy learned about how the Greeks had fought the war without looking suspicious asking all the questions. Jason was more than eager and proud to tell him all about it. It was _super cute_ and Percy kind of just wanted to keep the blonde. Take him home with him and introduce him to his mom. After all, the boy had been here _for years_ , living at a summer camp without proper parents or a family. Just... a bunch of children watching out for each other. Terrifying.

Luke was a good guy, a big brother figure who led his cabin with gentle firmness. Silena seemed to be a mom-type for everyone at camp, from what Percy saw that afternoon. She was dating a buff, big guy called Beckendorf, who was a genius inventor and seemed pretty amazing too.

By the time night rolled around and everyone was tucked into their beds – or sleeping bags – after a fun bonfire celebration of sorts, Percy opened the shadows and, with a last look at his sleeping half-brother, traveled through the darkness and straight into his parents' bedroom.

"Sweetheart! You could call before dropping by", chided Proserpina softly.

She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, though he slowly but firmly pushed her off with a frown on his face. Both Proserpina and Pluto exchanged a confused look at that. Percy was a very affectionate boy, he always cuddled everyone, especially his family.

"You _lied_ to me", stated Percy evenly. "You lied. Not just about Greeks existing – I get that you couldn't tell me or whatever. But... But _I have a brother_. I have a brother and you never told me. His name is Jason and he's adorable and dorky and... and he led his own great heroic life at an entirely different camp! What are we to you? Are there _more_? Do... Do I even really matter to you? I thought it was different, because you love mom. That we are a _family_. But you have more kids. So, what, am I super special and you neglected him, or do you just play that with everyone?"

"Perseus, that's _enough_ ", ordered Pluto firmly and looked up at him.

"Please let us explain, sweetie", requested Proserpina, reaching out for him.

He leaned back stubbornly, glaring. "Fine. Then. Explain. Where does Jason come from? Where is his mom? Why did you never tell me about him, or him about me?"

"Let's start with the last question", sighed Pluto. "You're Roman and he's Greek. That's why you don't... you shouldn't know about each other. It would have broken the major rule of Olympus."

"I never met Beryl Grace", Proserpina took over. "She was... Hades'. A young actress, seeking fortune and fame and riches. He had been with her far before we even met your mother."

"...Jason is younger than me", pointed Percy out in disbelief.

"But Jason's older sister was born five years before you", replied Pluto evenly. "Her name is Thalia. Your... older half-sister. But Beryl, she... she had problems. With alcohol and drugs. I tried to help her, but she was... She couldn't handle the truth of having been with a god, of her daughter being a demigod. She... was doing better, for a while. At the time, mine and Proserpina's relationship with your mother was, well, mainly a relationship between Sally and Proserpina at the time. I thought Beryl was doing well, but then Jason was born and... she rapidly declined. Things got so bad that I wanted to... take Thalia and Jason away from her, to have them live with me and Persephone. But Thalia had run away before I could get to them. She had taken Jason and gone. I tried tracking them, but they had rather cunning company who managed to shield them from monsters and gods alike. By the time I finally found them, they had already reached Camp Half-Blood and Thalia... she... nearly died. Persephone used her magic to turn Thalia into a tree. Jason, he had no memories of me at all, having been taken by Thalia when he was still too small. But he had formed bonds with their other two traveling companions. I... I wanted to take Jason away from there, pass him off as Roman and ask Sally to raise him alongside of you, but I couldn't take him away from the only family he had ever known, so... I left him at camp."

Percy stared at them for a long moment, just watching his parents and trying to see if they were lying or telling the truth this time around. He could not detect any lie, yet he was still disappointed that they had kept this all from him for so long. Biting his lips, he got up.

"Percy-", started Proserpina, reaching out for him.

"No. I... I believe that _this_ time it's the truth, but... I need some time to digest that all. Please respect that", requested Percy. "I thought we were different from other godly family. That you two trusted mom and me. That we were your... your one and only. I need some time."

Before they could say anything, he opened the shadows and returned home. He startled a shirtless Nico, who was apparently just in the middle of getting ready for bed. Nico frowned concerned as soon as he saw the upset look on Percy's face. Carefully, Nico approached him.

"Hey", whispered Nico gently. "What's wrong? Where have you been all day?"

He grunted when Percy collided with him full-force, wrapping his arms tightly around Nico's shoulders and burying his face in Nico's neck. Instantly, Nico laid his own arms around Percy's waist and pulled him into a protective hug that made Percy feel... grounded.

"I... a lot happened", muttered Percy. "I... know something that I can't tell anyone. But lies _hurt_ people and I never want to hurt you, Nico, but you need to promise me that you'll tell no one."

"Okay", promised Nico instantly, gently caressing Percy's back. "What is it?"

"The Greeks, they're still alive. They never died. They have their own camp. A—And above all else, I have _two_ half-siblings. Children of Hades", blurted Percy out agitated.

"...What? That was a lot to take in", grunted Nico slowly. "I mean, I... I believe you. But..."

"Yeah. I... the whole war, it was weird. Something felt off. So I asked around. And Triton told me the truth and I went to check out that Greek camp and met my half-brother there", whispered Percy softly, pressing his forehead against Nico's shoulders. "His name is Jason and he's like... two years younger than me? And he's a Greek hero with a titan girlfriend and I dunno what to think..."

"It's okay, Perce", assured Nico gently, guiding them both to the bed and sitting down, having Percy essentially on his lap at this point. "You... You have all the time in the world to... digest it."

"I _hate_ that they lied to me", muttered Percy, pulling Nico even closer. "I hate lying. It... It just _hurts_. So I don't want to lie to you ever again, Nico."

There was a determination clear in his voice as he pushed off of Nico, startling him. "Wait, ever again? You... You lied to me before, Perce...? But..."

"I love you", blurted Percy out, eyes still shimmering with tears, open and vulnerable. "I've been in love with you for years and I've been lying about it. B—But I don't want _any_ lies to _ever_ stand between you and me because I love you too much for that, Nico. So. Yeah. Now you know it."

Nico stared at Percy. Out of literally everything Percy had said in the past ten minutes, this was the most unbelievable. He continued staring, blinking slowly. Was this reality? But when Percy started fidgeting nervously, looking away from him, Nico realized that yes – this was real. Percy had actually said that and meant it. And now he feared rejection. No, no, that was all wrong. Percy Jackson should never- ever be rejected because he deserved all the good things in life. And if Percy thought Nico was one of those good things in life that he wanted, then _yes_.

"I love you too", said Nico gently, cupping Percy's cheek to redirect his gaze. "I... I don't know how long, but I realized it on my birthday, that I am completely in love with you."

"...Is that why you were behaving so weird lately?", asked Percy stunned. "You... You've been dodging me and giving odd, stammering around... I thought it was because you caught on with me being in love with you and I was making you uncomfortable..."

"No. I had _no idea_ ", grunted Nico, slowly leaning in. "I was just really bad at handling my own feelings for you? So... if... you love me and I love you... can we... kiss?"

"I'd... I'd like that", agreed Percy, meeting Nico half-way.

The kiss was slow and soft and sweet and everything that Percy had dreamed of for years now. Sighing contently, Percy leaned against Nico's chest, still clinging onto him. Nico gladly leaned back, laying down on his bed, with Percy on his chest. When they parted, Percy's cheeks were pleasantly flushed, lips red and glistering with saliva. He was the most beautiful thing Nico had ever seen in his entire life, so he just kind of gaped at Percy until Percy laughed.

"Your mouth is hanging open and you have an adorably stupid expression on your face", giggled Percy before he buried his face in Nico's chest. "Gods, I am so in love with everything about you."

Nico blushed at that and pulled Percy closer. "I... I love you too, Jurassic King."

"...Speaking of... where _are_ my dinosaurs?", asked Percy suspiciously.

"Hazel took Tyson out to take them on a walk because Ty wants to be more responsible", grinned Nico, now very relieved about that. "So, we... gonna talk more about those... Greeks?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I got so much to tell you now", grunted Percy, sobering up a little.

/May 2009, New Rome\

"They're so disgusting", sighed Dakota dramatically as he hauled a box.

Percy and Nico, leaning over another box and kissing, plainly ignored him. It was only when Sally giggled in the background that they parted and blushed. They had been sneaking around for a little while, unsure what Sally would say, and after a month had confessed to dating. Sally, being the literal angel she was, had hugged them both and kissed their foreheads. For the next three weeks, Nico slept on the couch while Sally looked for a larger apartment, admitting that she should have done that a while ago – Nico, Percy and Tyson all still sharing a room had grown more and more cramped the older the teens grew. And now it was time to move, their friends gladly helping.

"So, each of you have your own room", stated Mike, looking around Percy's new room.

"On different ends of the floor, with mom's and Ty's rooms between us", grunted Percy.

"Sweetie, I love the both of you and I will not kick Nico out, I would never, but I also do not want the two of you sneaking around while I'm in the house", countered Sally and shook her head.

"Oh, so once you're out of the house, all bets are off?", asked Reyna amused.

"Honey, I've been a teenager too once", snorted Sally. "I had my boyfriends sneak in through the window and stay over when my uncle wasn't home too. I _know_ that I have no control over what the two of them will be doing when I'm not home. All I do want is that... whatever you do, you will be... responsible doing it and... be really sure about whether or not you want it."

"Mo—om", groaned Percy and covered his face in his hands.

"...You are a strange family", commented Frank doe-eyed.

Sally laughed softly and kissed his temple. Dakota snorted amused as he brought a box to the new kitchen. For the next couple of hours, they all set up the new apartment together. The cute thing was the new guy. Frank Zhang, son of Mars who had only just arrived at Camp Jupiter. Of course did Percy and the others gladly take him under their wings.

"So, how are you liking New Rome so far?", asked Sally with a kind smile.

She was in the living room, overseeing how Mike and Frank were putting together a shelf. Frank looked up and returned her smile, ruffling his hair a little. He was living with his grandmother. When her health had gone worse, she had told him about his demigodly heritage and since New Rome was for demigods and their families, they both found an apartment together and New Rome helped Frank take care of his grandmother, for which he was very grateful.

"I... don't know", admitted Frank with a frown.

"It's all very different", offered Hazel with soft eyes. "When I first came here, it was overwhelming. But then again... I totally came from the underworld and all."

Frank jumped slightly, as he always did when the ghost materialized in front of him. Hazel was having way too much fun with that and with him. She giggled as he jumped and glared at her.

"Yeah. It's overwhelming. Random ghosts, demigods, a... an elephant...", muttered Frank.

"No worries, Frank, you'll get used to it all", assured Mike amused.

/September 2009, Underworld\

Percy gulped as he was face to face with a very angry Triton. The merman, in human form this time, was pacing around the underworld. Tilting his head, Percy turned toward his companions. Nico and Hazel looked just as lost as he did. They did this, occasionally, regularly, coming to the underworld, because Hazel was a ghost and couldn't spend all of her time materialized in the above-world. Percy would always come with her and for the past couple of years, Nico had tagged along. They usually went to visit Pluto, Proserpina, Percy's half-sisters, Letum. Since Percy was _still_ salty with his parents and keeping the interactions to a minimum, they had decided to go and visit Letum. Just to find Letum's boyfriend instead. Occasionally, _with_ Letum, but never just Triton alone.

"...Where's Letum?", asked Hazel concerned.

"I don't _know_ ", growled Triton before he paused and heaved a sigh. "He's... gone. Disappeared. I asked Mercury to track him down, but even Mercury can't find him."

"Somehow it strikes me as _not good_ when the guard of the Doors of Death is gone", mused Percy.

Nico frowned concerned and stepped up to his big brother, grabbing Triton's hand. "We'll find him."

"What?", asked Percy and Triton surprised.

"We _are_ ", grunted Nico with a frown, looking at his boyfriend. "We're heroes. It's what we do."

"...Well, yeah", hummed Percy thoughtfully, tilting his head. "It kinda is. And it's been boring lately. Okay. Sure. We will find your fly-away birdie, Tri."

"Don't call me that, Perseus", grunted Triton annoyed, crossing his arms. "...Very well. Demigod heroes, do what you do. I will contact Letum's twin-brother to guard the Doors of Death."

"Guard?", echoed Nico a bit confused, looking at the large doors.

"Oh, yeah, you can't see it, but there's souls escaping through them", confirmed Percy, gesturing toward the doors. "If they get through here, they get to live again."

There was a long moment in which Percy let the sentence trail off, his eyes widening. He looked at Nico and it took Nico about two seconds to catch on. Both boys turned to look at Hazel, matching grins on their faces. Triton groaned and shook his head. Why did his baby brother have to get a boyfriend with as many bad ideas as Nico himself got...?

"No", grunted Triton firmly. "I can and will not allow that. _No_."

"She's a daughter of Zeus. We can work together", pointed Nico out. "Children of the Big Three. We will need the big guns if we want to save Letum together. See it as... early payment."

"Now heroes need payment?", grunted Triton with a glare.

"Well, yeah", confirmed Percy, arms crossed over his shoulders. "All the lies and using us demigods. Yeah, we demand a little bit of payment nowadays."

Hazel looked wide-eyed and half-scared at that. The boys shouldn't risk the wrath of a god for her sake. She had been dead for so long and even though it _hurt_ being unable to interact with the others the same way they could. She saw Dakota and Leila sharing kisses and tending to the flowers together, she saw how Percy and Nico now got together and were so tender with each other. Hazel wanted that too, wanted to find happiness and be near someone.

"Very well", sighed Triton exhausted, surprising all three teens. "What? I don't give a damn. It's not my doors, it's not my job. I just want my boyfriend back. So if you bring him back in one piece, then you can take her with you. But you do know that you can not _ever_ go back to New Rome."

"But... But where would I go?", asked Hazel half-afraid.

"Camp Half-Blood!", blurted Percy out instantly. "You're Greek. It's where you _should_ have gone all along. And they're nice. Really. I liked them when I met them! You... You would be fine."

Hazel still looked doubtful, until Nico took her hands and looked at her seriously. "You have a second chance to live the life that was taken away from you. If... If there was any chance for my sister to come back to life, I would do anything for it. So... don't waste this opportunity."

There was no way Hazel could deny that. She had spent so much time being bitter, picturing what his life with Sammy could have been like, how living to an old age might have been. And now she actually had the chance to do so. Biting her lips hard, she nodded and faced the doors.

It felt odd, disconnecting as she suddenly had her body back. She patted herself down, blinking slowly, wide-eyed. When she came face to face with Nico and Percy again, she hugged them both. Finally she could physically hug them. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged them even tighter, burying her face in Percy's neck. Both gladly hugged her back.

"Okay, kids. Mercury managed to narrow it down to the land beyond our reach. Alaska. So go and bring me back my boyfriend", ordered Triton impatiently.

Saving Letum was a bit of a tricky quest and took the trio three days, but the combination of the Big Three alone was enough to give them an advantage. What Hazel lacked in training about her powers, Nico and Percy made up for, being experienced heroes.

"You earned your freedom, Hazel Levesque", stated Letum gently.

He brushed his wing against her cheek gratefully before being pulled away by Triton. They had saved Letum and returned him to the underworld, where he could lock the Doors of Death again. And now it was time to part ways. She smiled nervously at Letum, clinging onto Nico and Percy.

"...What now?", asked Hazel softly as the teenagers left the couple alone.

"Camp Half-Blood for you", whispered Percy softly, squeezing her hand. "It's... a good place. There are good people there. And... And you could... you could look out for my baby brother the way you have for years over me. I... I love you, Haze. You're my oldest friend. And I hate the idea of never seeing you again, but... but I also want you to be happy."

"I wouldn't say never", grunted Nico with a frown.

"Mh?", grunted Hazel confused, blinking with her large, golden eyes.

"Some primordial force literally just abducted Death himself", noted Nico, both eyebrows raised. "That's not small. That's the promise of something bigger. The three of us know about Greeks and Romans and... if this something bigger comes, we would be fools not to join forces. Hazel, you... when you're there, you have to soften the blow. Tell them about Romans. That you know Romans. That they exist. Tell _positive_ stories. About the war. The Romans must have the same blanks as we did during the war, the same questions about quests that just... ended abruptly. And then, when the time comes, we reunite again to go into battle together."

Hazel nodded seriously, straightening her back. She would train, hard. So she could be useful during whatever battle laid ahead of them. She pulled Nico into a suffocating hug.

"Watch over Percy for me. And Tyson and Sally", ordered Hazel, eyes closed tightly. "A—And Frank, Reyna, Mike, Dakota and Leila. And annoy Octavian for me. Cuddle Nessie and the dinosaurs. Stay safe. I... I'll miss you. Both of you. I love you."

"I love you too, Haze", whispered Nico, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Nick, you wait here for me", ordered Percy, sniffing softly. "I'll bring Hazel to the Greeks."

"Be safe", ordered Nico, kissing Percy gently.

Percy smiled thinly and took Hazel's hand to lead her through the shadows. They came out somewhere in the woods behind camp. He took a deep breath and turned toward her.

"Take it slow", advised Percy. "Be vague about your past. _Never_ mention you were dead. Say you were with other demigods before you came here. Tell them... more... once you made friends. Once you gained their trust, okay? Don't risk anything. And... And if you need to get away, call."

"I will. I love you, Perce", smiled Hazel, hugging him tightly.

Percy smiled, a watery smile, as he lead her to camp. It was bursting with life, just how he remembered it. Colorful and carefree, so unlike New Rome with its strictness. He spotted Jason nearly instantly, talking to a redheaded girl and a short Latino. Hazel stumbled.

"Sammy", whispered Hazel wide-eyed as she watched the short Latino laugh softly.

Percy frowned confused for a moment before he approached the group. "Hey."

"...You...", muttered Jason before he glared, punched Percy's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. "You just disappeared. I thought something had happened to you, man."

Percy's smile was weak and downright nostalgic as he returned his brother's hug. "I'm sorry. I just... I was overwhelmed with everything. And sleeping on the floor... not really my style."

"Yeah, I can totally get that! Man am I glad Hephaestus Cabin isn't that overcrowded!"

Jason laughed. "Oh, right. This is Leo Valdez. He just recently arrived. My friend Grover kind of stumbled over him in Texas and brought him here. Leo, this is Percy, he's a son of Persephone."

"Hey", greeted Percy with a smile, though Leo was looking right through him at Hazel. "Uhm. This... This is my friend Hazel. I... After I left camp, I came to stay somewhere else, where it was safe for demigods. And I met Hazel there. But... But we think that maybe she would be... better off here. So... So I brought her. And I hope you'll... be willing to train her, to keep an eye on her. Do you think you could do this for me, Jason? She's like a sister to me."

Jason grinned broadly and nodded. "Of course we will! Hazel was it? You'll fit right in. We'll show you around and train you and it'd going to be great, don't worry."

"Don't overwhelm her", sighed the redhead fondly. "Hi. I'm Rachel, the Oracle of Delphi."

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you", replied Hazel, shaking hands with Rachel.

"So, who's your godly parent?", asked Leo curiously.

"Uhm, that would be Zeus, actually", noted Hazel and ducked her head unsure.

The other three started fawning over her and asking a million questions, giving Percy the opportunity to just slip out. He looked on sadly, biting his lips. But he knew this was the right thing to do. If he had brought her to New Rome, it would have all been for naught. Here, she could start anew. Make new friends, maybe find love, definitely find adventure. She _deserved_ that.

/December 2009, Camp Half-Blood\

It was too soon. That was the only thought running through Hazel's mind when she saw Reyna sit in the Big House, uncomfortable and confused. Jason, Charles, Silena, Clarisse, Annabeth and Bianca were talking rapidly among themselves. All Hazel could do was stare at her friend.

"You don't remember anything?", asked Hazel gently, resting a hand on Reyna's upper arm.

"My name is... Reyna", sighed Reyna and shook her head. "Nothing more. I woke up in the middle of nowhere with no memories and I've been fighting monsters since then."

Hazel nodded and gulped. It was too soon. She hadn't told the others about the Romans yet. She had barely just started making real friends – especially Bianca, Annabeth, Calypso and Piper. Hazel even had _a boyfriend_. A month ago, cute and flustered Leo had first asked her out. Well, he had been flirting with her from the day they had met, because Leo was a flirt. And at first, Hazel kept pushing him away, because he looked exactly like Sammy, with whom he _must_ be related. But over the first two months of her stay at Camp Half-Blood, Hazel came to realize that Leo was not Sammy. Leo was Leo. And Leo was adorable and amazing. Hazel had come to really love him.

There were just several problems. One being Bianca _di Angelo_ , Nico's very much alive older sister, the other being the whole Romans-thing. Another, maybe, Frank, whom she had had kind of a crush on before the start of her new life. She kept delaying the truth about the Romans, because she genuinely didn't know how to explain Nico and Bianca. She bit her lips.

" _Enough_!", barked Clarisse out, slamming her hands down on the table hard. "Luke is gone. We have no idea where he is, Thalia and the huntresses have been scouting for days. Now this amnesic stranger shows up. We need a game-plan. That's what we need."

"I... I have one", said Hazel unsure.

She accidentally sparked some electricity, causing the lights to flicker. It was a nervous habit that she had been working on controlling, but wasn't very good at just yet. She could _fly_ and control storms and electricity. It was a bit wild, still, even though she was working hard.

"You do?", asked Silena surprised. "What... kind of plan do you have, sweetie?"

"The people I stayed with before I came here...", started Hazel. "No. Wait. This isn't just for the cabin-heads. Everyone needs to hear this. We... We should move this somewhere else."

Half an hour later, everyone at camp was gathered at the amphitheater, with a nervous Hazel standing in front of them and a confused Reyna sitting in the first row, softly talking to Annabeth. Leo and Piper sat next to Annabeth, both of them looking at her curiously.

"As you know, I wasn't always... here at camp", started Hazel, back straight. "And... And Reyna is from the same place." Noises grew louder and Reyna perked up in confusion. "Which means, yes, I know where Luke is. He must be where Reyna has been taken."

"Wonderful. Take us there", ordered Clarisse with an annoyed glare.

"I... can't. I mean, I genuinely don't know how to get there. And... there is more", continued Hazel nervously before taking a deep breath. "They're Roman. Roman demigods. Reyna is a daughter of Bellona, the Roman version of Enyo. We Greeks were kept from the Romans to avoid in-fighting because Greeks and Romans have always edged on. And whatever is going on now, the gods themselves must have decided that we all will be required to work together."

"...Wait", whispered Annabeth confused. "The boy. In the Labyrinth. With the purple shirt."

"That... was Percy Jackson", nodded Hazel, gaining Jason's attention. "Who is not in fact a Greek son of Persephone. He's the Roman son of Pluto and one of the heroes of the Roman camp. He was the first one to learn the truth and he came here to... to see, because he couldn't believe it. When he found out that I am Greek and not Roman, he brought me here. And... And I was supposed to tell you guys the truth, tell you about Romans, but... but I was... nervous. Afraid. I've never had a home like this and I was afraid to lose it if I told you guys the truth..."

"Haze", started Leo with a frown and got up to get to his girlfriend and hug her. "No. We love you. You are totally one of us. Just... tell us the truth? We're all listening."

And with that, they settled in for a long story-telling time.

/December 2009, New Rome\

"I am _traumatized_ ", sputtered Percy disgusted and covered his eyes. "I need _therapy_ now!"

"Shut up, Jackson", growled Octavian annoyed and threw a stuffed toy at him.

Percy had been gone for a few days, in the underworld with Nico and Tyson, just to return to absolute chaos. Reyna had disappeared and 'a guy with no memory named Luke' had appeared. Percy, having a hunch, had gone to track down Luke, just to find Luke Castellan, naked and sprawled out on a heap of stuffed toys and in the arms of an equally naked Octavian.

"Ew. Very much ew", grunted Frank as he too turned away.

Reyna had become like a sister to him since he got to camp and that she was missing worried him. Percy heaved a deep sigh and threw Luke's clothes at him, glaring a little.

"Well, Octavian, you slept with a Greek", announced Percy pointedly. "Yes, they're alive. Apparently, they're good fucks. Ew. Get dressed, Luke. I'll bring you back home."

"Home...?", echoed Luke eagerly, stumbling a little.

"Greek?!", hollered Octavian scandalized. "How—What does this mean, Jackson?"

Percy lifted a finger, but Nico interrupted him. "Not now. For now, we bring Luke back to his camp and get Reyna back to ours. _Then_ , we will explain everything."

Luke looked utterly confused, but got dressed and followed Percy and Nico through the shadows and toward Camp Half-Blood. The first one to greet them was Hazel, pulling Percy into a tight hug.

"I explained everything to them days ago", whispered Hazel. "We're... fine. I think. The Hephaestus Cabin has started building a flying ship that we will use to come to New Rome."

"Wonderful", sighed Percy. "Because shadow-traveling all the cabin-heads would be a little exhausting even for me. How are you? Have you settled in well? Tell me _every_ -"

"...B—Bianca...", whispered Nico strangled and the heartbroken word interrupted Percy.

Frowning, Percy turned toward his boyfriend who was staring a girl that looked like a female version of Nico. The girl looked just as haunted before she launched herself at Nico and hugged him in a bone-crushing way. They clung onto each other for half an eternity.

"Hazel was right", whispered Bianca. "I... I didn't dare to believe it when she told me that where she is from, you are... you are alive. Oh, I missed you so much, Nico. I thought... I thought you died when mamma died. But... the gods... separated us. Because we're Roman and Greek. I never thought about it. I _knew_ you were the son of Neptune and I'm the daughter of Poseidon, but I thought that meant nothing. Only when Hazel told us the truth did I piece it together..."

Percy bit his lips, happy tears gathering in his eyes as he watched. This was the one thing he hadn't been able to give his boyfriend, even though Percy had spent years searching for Bianca in the underworld to give him closure. Turned out Bianca was alive. Tentatively, he approached.

"Hi. I'm... I'm Percy. I've... been dying to meet you", said Percy to introduce himself.

"That's the love of my life", tagged Nico on eagerly. "Percy, my big sister."

"Love of his life?", laughed Bianca, wiping tears away. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

/June 2010, Princess Andromeda\

Percy grinned as he stood next to Bianca and Nico. The children of the sea having become the navigators of their very awesome flying ship. They had spent half a year building it – Romans and Greeks alike. Between Percy, Jason, Thalia and Mrs. O'Leary, they had enough means for shadow-traveling. One by one, the senate and the cabin-heads got to meet and explore the other camp. See if they were truly trustworthy. Reyna and Nico, the praetors, as well as Luke, leader of Camp Half-Blood, worked out a treaty between Greeks and Romans. Over the past six months, they came to realize that they had to battle Gaia and her Giants and that they could only do so if they worked together. New friendships formed among this alliance. And new relationships. Percy grinned as he looked over to Hazel, Frank and Leo. Frank had been _so happy_ to see that Hazel was alive and had not actually moved on to reincarnation. The three had spent so much time together, until they finally figured out that they could be more than just friends. The creepiest was, of course, grumpy augur Octavian actually falling for Luke. Their one-night-stand had repeated – more than once – and at one point, it became more than sex. Granted, Percy was pretty sure Luke was the main reason the augur was even on board. Both, literally on board of this ship, as well as on board with the plan.

And here they were, Greeks and Romans, prepared to fight alongside each other. Their ship held course to the old world. The _real_ Rome, where their quest for peace was going to start.

"I can't believe we're going to Europe, bro", muttered Jason as he sat down next to Percy.

Percy grinned broadly at his baby brother and reached down to ruffle Jason's hair. The two of them had grown closer too – and Percy had even gotten to actually meet Thalia. Granted, they kind of clashed at times, but overall Thalia was pretty awesome.

"This is going to be amazing", whispered Piper as she and Calypso joined Jason.

"I'm sure we will be fine", sighed Annabeth, worry knitting her eyebrows.

"As long as we fight together, we sure will", promised Bianca, kissing the frown away.

Percy hummed softly in agreement and looked around. Looked at Reyna and Clarisse sparring, at Silena braiding Leila's hair, Dakota turning water in wine for Luke and Chris and the Hermes Cabin, Mike sitting with Rachel and talking to her. Greeks and Romans had used the past six months since their leaders had been abducted in some bullshit attempt to intervene from the gods. They had used this time to form a strong alliance, one that would win against their enemies.

"I love you, amore", whispered Nico gently as he pulled Percy into a kiss.

Percy sighed contently and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck to pull him into an even deeper kiss. Yes, Bianca was right. As long as they had each other and fought alongside each other, they would certainly be fine. He knew from experience that he could take on any enemy as long as Nico was there to have his back. They were heroes. More than heroes. They were legends.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I hate fight-scenes and I literally blacked out during that part of Blood of Olympus and have _no memories_ of how exactly the "war" ended, have an omnious end with them sailing to Europe! Honestly, the most important part for me was the bringing Romans and Greeks together here, anyway.
> 
> Also, just, some last notes that pissed me off:
> 
> \- Why the ever-loving fuck did the Romans save THANATOS. Thanatos is _a Greek god_. He has a Roman form. Why would the Romans not be suspicious that they are sent to save a Greek god. They just accepted it. That was bullshit.
> 
> \- Thanatos disappeared in September. Fucking SEPTEMBER. But a quest was only sent in fucking JUNE. How is "Hey, the Doors of Death stand wide-fucking-open and dead people and monsters can escape" not a little higher on your list of priorities than NINE DAMN MONTHS. Thaaat is the quest Jason and the others should have taken. Fuck Hera, especially after she screwed shit up. How did she get a rescue quest as soon as she gets abducted but the guard of Death is just a meh situation?
> 
> \- Still. And always. The logic behind "Let's not immediately shadow-travel to the Romans with Jason and sit down, talk to them, explain to them everything slowly in just a small group and with the ones he trusts. Spend weeks and months on building trust and an alliance, shown by the good-will of returning Jason. Nah, we'll just wait half a year, build a battleship and THEN come _in a freaking battle ship_ to their door and demand them to immediately trust us without any reason or proof" will NEVER stop fucking with me. It's possibly the dumbest shit Riordan ever wrote. They have fucking MRS. O'LEARY a giant-ass shadow-traveling hellhound that Annabeth and Jason could have taken to travel, see if Percy is with the Romans, then talk things out with the Romans. No, spending six months on a war ship and not immediately going to check up on Percy even though you have the means for it. That makes sense. Totes.
> 
> Yeah, no. I'm done now. But seriously, nothing has ever pissed me off more than Heroes of Olympus and the messy, incoherent, plot-hole riddled story...
> 
> Aaanyway. This story here is over now. I hope you enjoyed my twist! I sure did! Thanks for going along with me on this ride. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, this was supposed to be a oneshot but it wasn't very cooperative so it's not a threeparter. First part their origins and childhood, second part the PJatO plot, third part the HoO plot. Well, boiled down obviously because I ain't got time to rewrite the entiiire series. Just, you know, the important and changed parts, for funsies.
> 
> And if this seems familiar, I've been teasing it like... three times by now I think... on tumblr, so if you wanna get insight into my current projects and mind, go visit me [@takaraphoenix](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/) over on tumblr. ;)
> 
> Nooow, about that update... I am aiming for in a month, but due to this pesky little thing called Real Life, I'm not making promises, so just keep tabs on **my updating schedule which you can find on my profile**.


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